Earl Beitler
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot -- Squadron Operations Officer | 466th Bomb Group
John Perella
Military
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Crew #768 Earl H. Beitler/Neil Gobrecht Crew Standing Left to Right: Richard S.Lundberg (R/O), Russell K. Mason (FE), Earl H. Beitler (P), John Perella (N), Neil M. Gobrecht (CP/P) Kneeling Left to Right: Gale Raymond (NG), Donald Sargeant (TG), Wilfred Smith (WG), Edward M. Smith (WG) During this crew's combat tour, the pilot, Earl H. Beitler was promoted to 787th Bomb Squadron Operations Officer and Gobrecht took over as pilot.
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Crew #769/487 Richard J. Farrington Crew 466th BG - 784th and 787th Bomb Squadrons Standing Left to Right: John C. Murphy (RN), John A. Perella (N), John A. Regan (CP), Richard J. Farrington (P), George E. Noe (PN), Chris Manners (B) Kneeling Left to Right: Robert E. Peterson (TG), John C. Brennan (WG), Jerome Barrett (FE), Howard G. Goodner (R/O), Albert Seraydarian (G) This was the last 466th BG and indeed the last 8th AF B-24 crew shot down in WW2. Manners and Seraydarian were able to bail out. Everyone else in the photo above was KIA.
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MACR 14182 42-95592 "Black Cat" 466th BG | 784th BS 21 Apr 1945
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PERELLA, John 2LT O-2064309 Air Medal Certificate GO# 2 02 Jan 1945
Originally a member of the Earl H. Beitler Crew (Crew #768), Perella was flying with the Richard Farrington Crew (Crew #487) when he was KIA on 21 April 1945
Service
People
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Richard Farrington
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 466th Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) at Regensburg in B-24 'Black Cat' #42-95592. -
Neil Gobrecht
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Co-Pilot/Pilot | 466th Bomb Group
Flew B-24 in combat in WW 2. Flew B-29 during the Korean War. Flew U-10 in combat during the Vietnam War Retired as a Lt. Colonel. Was a science teacher for 12 years before retiring.
Units served with
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466th Bomb Group
Group
The 466th Bomb Group flew B-24 Liberators from Attlebridge, Norfolk, during the last year of the war in Europe. The Group flew 232 missions in the course of the year and celebrated the 100th one by inviting local people onto the base to mark the... -
784th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
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787th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
Aircraft
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42-95592 Black Cat
B-24 Liberator
On 21 April 1945 B-24 Liberator "Black Cat" became the last heavy bomber to be shot down in the European Theatre of Operations. ... -
42-50368 Delores Jean
B-24 Liberator
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42-50791 Judy Sue
B-24 Liberator
Missions
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704
6 November 1944
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729
29 November 1944
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796
16 January 1945
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8th Air Force 963
21 April 1945
Associated Place
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Attlebridge
Military site : airfield
Attlebridge was constructed for RAF use and completed to that standard in 1942. However, with news that it was to be assigned to the American Air Force, the runways were extended and additional hardstandings and outbuildings constructed for the heavy... -
Oberhinkofen
Crash site
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Joliet, IL, USA | 25 June 1924 |
| Lived in | Joliet, IL, USA | 1943 |
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506 Grant Street |
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| Died | Scharmassing, 93083 Obertraubling, Germany | 21 April 1945 |
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Shot down with the Farrington Crew aboard "Black Cat" the last 8th AF B-24 shot down during the war. |
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| Buried | Joliet, IL, USA | 1948 |
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Mount Olivet Cemetery |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 05 January 2017 00:04:49 | 466thHistorian | Changes to service number and highest rank |
| Sources | ||
466th BG Roll of Honor |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 04 September 2015 19:17:13 | 466thHistorian | Created entry with surname, firstname, nationality, highest rank, role, biography, events, person associations, unit associations, place associations, aircraft associations, mission associations and media associations |
| Sources | ||
466th BG Historian |
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