Military
Assigned to 783BS, 465BG, 15AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) from raid on Oil refinery in Blechhammer, Germany. When B-24 42-28853 lost a wing over the target he was blown out of the aircraft, fortunately with his chute attached, he survived to be captured. 20-Nov-44. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 9889.
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME, UN and Korean medals.
Post war: Remained in USAF, serving in Korean war and rising to Master Sergeant.
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Squadron Commander - Command Pilot | 465th Bomb Group
Clarence Jack Lokker has answered that last call, and now stands on the “Plains of Valhalla” with others of that “long gray line” who await us all.
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The Fifteenth Air Force was one of two Strategic Air forces in Europe, along with the Eighth Air Force.
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Group
It was constituted as the 465th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 19 May 1943
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Squadron
B-24 Liberator
Other location
Military site : airfield
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Gonzales County, TX, USA | 16 February 1920 |
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Son of Edgar and Oda E [Hand] Billings. Husband of Patty (Lauchner). Brother of Cecil Billings. Father of Robert Lee Billings and Michael Billings, Grandfather of 7, Sarah, Rachel, Melissa, Josh, David P. Billings USAF Ret., Robert Matthew Billings, Ruthanne Rhoades. GreatGrandfather of 6 (so far) Evelyn Yvonne Billings, Alexander Clark Billings, Gabriel Lee Billings, Sarah Billings, Kaylee Rhoades, Carter Rhoades |
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| Lived in | Smiley, TX, USA | 1941 |
| Based | Pantanella | 1943 – 20 November 1944 |
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Assigned to 783BS, 465BG, 15AF USAAF. |
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| Shot down / baled out | Blechhammer, 92439 Bodenwöhr, Germany | 20 November 1944 |
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Failed to Return (FTR) from raid on Oil refinery in Blechhammer, Germany. When B-24 42-28853 lost a wing over the target he was blown out of the aircraft, fortunately with his chute attached, he survived to be captured. 20-Nov-44. POW. MACR 9889. |
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| Prisoner of War (POW) | Tychowo, Poland | 20 November 1944 – May 1945 |
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Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft IV. |
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| Buried | Riverside, CA, USA | December 2002 |
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Riverside National Cemetery |
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| Lived in | Riverside County, CA, USA | 5 December 2002 |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 14 July 2019 08:30:55 | Mattuse | Changes to nickname and events |
| Sources | ||
I’m Robert Matthew Billings. Lee Roy was my grandfather. He told me all about his experiences in the plane that was shot down plus many other stories. I recorded it all on 8mm Sony digital tape, but it’s been lost since made in 1994. He held my daughter Evelyn who was born in 2002. The date of his death is inaccurate. My father knows exactly when. I’m not sure if he was buried in California or Arizona, but my father would know. My father was named after him, and my youngest son Gabriel holds this hero and patriots name also. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 05 December 2016 13:55:30 | Al_Skiff | Created entry with surname, middlename, firstname, nationality, service number, highest rank, role, biography, events, person associations, unit associations, place associations and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbmsn.asp?SN=41-28853&Submit6=Go |
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