Alfred R Lea
Military7 missions 6 June through 21 June 1944. Crew shot down in German occupied Poland 21 June 1944 on first England/Russia 'Mission Frantic' shuttle raid. 3 of crew taken Prisoner of War (POW), other 7 picked up by Polish Army where they served as partisan infantrymen for 40 days, then returned to allied control when the Polish regiment was overrun by Soviet troops. They proved to be the largest number of men from a single crew to evade capture together and return to allied control. Evaded (EVD).
Poland Cross of Valor/ Poland Home Army Cross/ Air Medal/ PH w/ Oak Leaf Cluster/ ETO Ribbon w/ 3 Battle Stars/ Russia Victory Medal
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
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: BTO in the ETO
- Unit: 452nd Bomb Group 729th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Aircraft crash site
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Marshfield, Wisconsin | 5 February 1919 | Son of George A and Sara Rice Lea. |
|
Died |
Houston, Texas | 30 December 2005 | |
|
Buried |
3 January 2006 | Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery | |
|
Other Evaded |
Woroniec, Poland | 21 June 1944 |
Revisions
Added an association to Deopham Green, the home base for the 452nd BG.
Corrected a typo in the "Summary biography" - “overrun” was misspelled.
Added S/N per MACR 10282 at Fold3.com.
https://www.fold3.com/image/28730898?terms=42-38202
Added 2 awards (PH & AM) mentioned in the "Summary biography" section.
Obituary published in Houston Chronicle on Jan. 3, 2006, found on Legacy.com.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 10282 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / self MACR 10282