Donald Justin McDonald

Military

October 1943 - January 1944. Co-pilot, Wison A crew. 381st BG, 534th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 7 January 1944 in B-17F #42-3078 'Winsome Winn'. Mission #58 to the IG Farben plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany. MACR 1873. Prisoner of War at Stalag Luft I. Damaged by flak, the a/c fell behind and was attacked by fighters. The crew baled out when fire broke in No 1 and No 2 engines and a/c exploded at 500 ft.

Mojave, CA



POW

Connections

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Units served with

The insignia of the 381st Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 381st Bomb Group 534th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-739544
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Navigator
Sgt. John “Jack” Francis Embach
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 381st Bomb Group 534th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 36533448
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Engineer/Top Turret Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 381st Bomb Group 534th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 12160072
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 381st Bomb Group 534th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 11031365
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Tail Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 381st Bomb Group 534th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 35208958
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: waist gunner

Aircraft

A B-17 Flying Fortress (GD-M, serial number 42-3078) of the 534th Bomb Squadron, 381st Bomb Group in flight. Handwritten caption on reverse: '381st BG.' On reverse: George J. Letzter [Stamp].
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Winsome Winn
  • Unit: 2nd Strategic Air Depot 100th Bomb Group 381st Bomb Group 95th Bomb Group 334th Bomb Squadron 534th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Prisoners of war, including Colonel Hubert Zemke of the 479th Fighter Group at Stalag Luft I.
  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag Luft I, Barth, Germany

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Mojave, California 12 March 1920

Other

Prisoner of War

68-100 Zagan, Poland 7 January 1944 Stalag Luft I

Revisions

Date
ContributorARowe95
Changes
Sources

ARowe95

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

381st Bomb Group Memorial Association, March 1999; MACR 1873, 8th AF Losses / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia