Dean B Strain
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
Standing, from left to right, Captain Dean Strain (Pilot), 1st Lt. Joe Blair (Co-Pilot), 1st Lt. Mike Delaney (Navigator) and 1st Lt. Franklin Roberts (Bombadier). The names of the other airmen on the plane that went down are John E. Turner (Engineer), William E. Neigh (Radio Operator), Arnold Jackson (Tail Gunner), John A. Hudson (Right Waist Gunner), and Theron S.Wimett (Left Waist Gunner). I am guessing those are the names of the guys kneeling, but I have know way of being sure.
Also on the plane were Captain Justus M. Schwenson, Command Pilot, 2nd Lt. David A. LePitre (Pilotage Navigator) and 1st Lt. Joseph E. Willoughby (Mickey Navigator).
The plane (-V 481) was leading the 14th Combat Wing on January 17th when it was knocked out by Flak during a mission over Hamburg/Harburg Germany. All of the crew members were killed. Some additional information and a picture of the officers can be found on page 158 of the "Ringmasters"
(Photo - Mike Delaney/Kevin Godar)
Kathryn Delaney Godar
Object Number - UPL 13601 - Captain Dean Strain Crew Standing, from left to right, Captain Dean Strain (Pilot), 1st Lt. Joe Blair (Co-Pilot), 1st Lt. Mike Delaney (Navigator)...
Killed in Action (KIA) at Meckelfeld (Harburg, Luneburg, Niedersachsen, Lower Saxony Germany) in B-24 #4251481. Buried at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery in Kansas, USA. A collection of pictures from local artists was dedicated to the La Junta Koshare Museum in memory of Captain Strain.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 392nd Bomb Group 579th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 392nd Bomb Group 578th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 17086556
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
![An pathfinder B-24 Liberator of the 853rd Bomb Squadron, 491st Bomb Group goes down after a direct flak hit during a riad on Harburg, 17 January 1945. Handwritten caption on reverse: '853rd BS, 491st BG, 17 Jan 1945. Harburg Refinery - Germany. Lead ship going down, pilot [illegible] strain.' Second handwritten on reverse: '17-1-45, 334.'](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-414610.jpg.webp?itok=UG_qr3_d)
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
20 May 1920 | ||
|
Died |
17 January 1945 | ||
|
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
17 January 1945 |
Revisions
Location of death source: http://www.maplandia.com/germany/niedersachsen/luneburg/harburg/meckelf…
Connection to pilots Thomas Sisson and Walt B. Cranson established through personal letters written by 1st Lt. Thomas Sisson during April, 1945 in which he mentions searching for a Dean Strain. Thomas Sisson and Walt Cranson were raised in the same hometown as Dean Strain.
Birth date and burial details: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37452672/dean-b_-strain
Dedication to the Koshare Museum article: http://koshares.com/museum/
from La Junta news paper memories REMEMBERING CAPTAIN DEAN STRAIN
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 11735 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
