Eldred C Schroeder
Military
media-6943.jpeg
UPL 6943
Crew #631
Richard Wollstein Crew
466th BG - 786th BS
Standing Left to Right: Fred A. Riebe (B), Richard S. Wollstein (P), Maurus C. Owens (N), James B. Smith (CP).
Kneeling Left to Right: William Scott (Ground Crew Chief), Eldred Schroeder (G), Bernard H. Tighe (FE), Charles J. Vejda (R/O), Steve Lindquist (G), Albert W. Pittman (G), Norman Clark (RWG).
This crew were shot down on 13 August 1944 while flying B-24H-15-FO #42-52529 "Wild Pussy" (name changed to "Wild Princess" per officers' request) Code: U8-B
Wollstein (P), Smith (CP), and Owens (N) were all KIA.
Vejda (R/O), Clark (RWG), and Tighe (FE) all evaded capture and eventually returned to England.
Lindquist had been had been KIA on 17 July 1944 when the crew was hit by flak and forced to crash land B-24H-15-FO #42-52511 on the beach near New Romney, England.
The rest of the crew were made POW for the duration.
466th Bomb Group collection
Richard Wollstein Crew
466th BG - 786th BS
Standing Left to Right: Fred A. Riebe (B), Richard S. Wollstein (P), Maurus C. Owens (N), James B. Smith (CP).
Kneeling Left to Right: William Scott (Ground Crew Chief), Eldred Schroeder (G), Bernard H. Tighe (FE), Charles J. Vejda (R/O), Steve Lindquist (G), Albert W. Pittman (G), Norman Clark (RWG).
This crew were shot down on 13 August 1944 while flying B-24H-15-FO #42-52529 "Wild Pussy" (name changed to "Wild Princess" per officers' request) Code: U8-B
Wollstein (P), Smith (CP), and Owens (N) were all KIA.
Vejda (R/O), Clark (RWG), and Tighe (FE) all evaded capture and eventually returned to England.
Lindquist had been had been KIA on 17 July 1944 when the crew was hit by flak and forced to crash land B-24H-15-FO #42-52511 on the beach near New Romney, England.
The rest of the crew were made POW for the duration.
466th Bomb Group collection
Joseph M. Owens, son of 1st Lt Maurus C Owens (N)
Shot down by flak and crashed at Orival on 8/13/44 in B-24 'Wild Pussy' #42-52529, Prisoner of War (POW).
Connections
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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: 466th Bomb Group 786th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-692597
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Wild-Pussy/Sully's Saloon
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 786th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Attlebridge Arsenal, Station 120
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Arthyde, Minnesota, USA | 5 February 1919 | |
Died |
San Bernardino County, CA, USA | 24 November 1968 | In February, 1943, at the height of World War II, Eldred Clifford Schroeder, at age 24, was drafted into the United States Army, where he was assigned to the 786th Bombardment Squadron in the European theater of operations. He climbed the ranks to become a Technical Sergeant and served as a tail gunner on a B-24 Liberator. After flying 22 successful combat missions, Schroeder and his crew were shot down over France. Fortunately, the French underground rescued him and returned him to England where his leg was treated for shrapnel wounds. He resumed flying, but on his 26th combat mission, he was again shot down over France. This time, German troops found Schroeder, and he was taken as a prisoner of war. He was imprisoned at Stalag Luft One, in Barth,Germany, until the camp was liberated nine months later by the Russian Army in May of 1945. Mr. Schroeder died in 1968. |
Buried |
Ontario, CA, USA | 28 November 1968 | Bellevue Cemetery and Mausoleum Ontario San Bernardino County California, USA |
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
France | 13 August 1944 |
Revisions
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources
Added a "-" to the A/C serial # in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 7912 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database