Casimer Antony Nastal
MilitaryNARA Ref 342-FH-3A06277-E23980AC.
S/Sgt Casimer A "Tony" Nastal entered military service in 1941 and would serve on different bomber crews with the 447BG, 8AF, before eventually being assigned to the B-17 41-24485 'Memphis Belle', replacing Scott E Miller as the right waist gunner. He would be the plane's youngest crew member at the age of 19. The 'Belle' and her crew would ultimately become the first to fly all of it's required twenty-five missions in the European theater of WWII, twenty-five being the number to be sent back to the United States. Her last mission was flown on May 17, 1943. Nastal would only fly one mission with the Memphis Belle, however because he had previously flown 24 other missions, he was sent home along with the rest of the crew. After a brief tour, he returned to the war to fly another 55 missions.
Awards: DFC, AM (3OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Twelfth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Memphis Belle
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 324th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Wayne County, MI, USA | 7 October 1923 | |
Enlisted |
Detroit, MI, USA | 24 December 1941 | |
Died |
10 August 2002 |
Revisions
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Unit History Roster, Enlisted Men, as of 01 August 1945