George J Shady

Military
media-38348.jpeg UPL 38348 George J Shady of Bridgeville, Pa was a Radio Operator on the B24 Liberator, "Swamp Angel" 42-100352. Last mission for the Swamp Angel's crew was on 2/20/1944 during Operation Big Week.

Georganne Henson (relative)

Object Number - UPL 38348 - George J Shady of Bridgeville, Pa was a Radio Operator on the B24 Liberator, "Swamp Angel" 42-100352. Last mission for the Swamp Angel's crew was on...

George J Shady, 389th Bomb Group 565th Bomb Squadron, was a Radio Operator/Mechanic Gunner on the B-24J Liberator 42-100352 "Swamp Angel." George flew 10 missions until his crew was shot down by fighters after bombs away, exploded and crashed SW of the target of Brunsick on 20 Feb 1944. George became a POW on 2/20/1944 and his 1st POW camp was Stalag Luft IX-C. From 4/20/1944-4/25/1944, George went to Stalag Luft III. George transferred again and was sent to Stalag Luft VI. While in this camp, George reconnected with his cousin George Abood who was captured on 7/25/1944. George Shady was then sent to Stalag Luft IV in early August of 1944 along with his cousin. From then on George Shady and his cousin George Abood remained at Stalag Luft IV until 2/6/1945. George Shady was then forced to walk the Black Death March along side his cousin Abood. At the time of the start of this march, George Shady had already been a POW for over a year, still had injuries from his crash in 1944, and was subjected to harsh conditions in multiple POW camps. During the march, both Shady and Abood "slept in barns" and "eat what we could steal from farms and ration ourselves so that we wouldn't run out of food for the next day. " Shady became ill during the march and at one point a German solider threatened both Abood and Shady telling Abood that if he dropped Shady, both men would be shot. Abood assisted Shady for 300 miles until both cousins were liberated on 4/26/1945 by allied forces. Altogether, George Shady was a POW from 2/20/1944 until 4/26/1945. Per Shady's written account, " All in all I lost 48 pounds from the time I was taken prisoner until I was released. My weight dropped from 138 to 90." Sargent George Shady returned back to the states with his cousin George Abood. Sargent Shady's discharge date was 11/29/1945.



Shady wrote numerous letters while he was a POW and he was always more concerned about the well-being of his family than himself. In the 8/10/1944, Shady made a lighthearted comment about being with his cousin Abood: "As I mentioned in a previous letter to you, cousin George is with me now. He sure must think a lot of me to come clear out to Germany to see me. We are both well and looking forward to the day when we will be with you all again. What a celebration we will have, Huh? Roll out the barrel."



George J Shady returned home to Bridgeville Pa, married, had 3 daughters, a family business for a number of years, was involved with his house of worship, and remained close with his cousin Abood. Shady had an arduous POW experience for 14 months alongside his cousin Abood.

Shady and Abood were not just 2 men who were in WW2, they were family. No matter the physical pain their bodies endured, the horrors of war the men witnessed, one thing is for sure...commitment to love of one's family is a bond that cannot be broken. Shady and Abood are the epitome that love conquers hate. Thank you Uncle Georgie Shady for your service to your country and commitment to your family.

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Units served with

The insignia of the 389th Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 389th Bomb Group 567th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 33692385
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner / Waist Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 97th Bomb Group 340th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 33692393
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Swamp Angel
  • Unit: 389th Bomb Group 565th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, USA 25 October 1921

Enlisted

Prisoner of War (POW)

Germany 22 August 1942 - 26 April 1945

Other

POW

Stalag Luft III, IX, VI, and IV 20 February 1944 - 26 April 1945

Died

28 November 2006 (aged 85)

Buried

Bridgeville, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA Saint George's Cemetery

Revisions

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Contributorjmoore43
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Added the Died event and updated the Buried event per Find-a-grave Memorial ID 55322118.
SOURCE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55322118/george_j-shady
Added some punctuation in the "Summary biography" to aid readability.

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ContributorGeorganne Henson
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Georganne Henson (relative)

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Georganne Henson (relative)

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Georganne Henson (relative)

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Georganne Henson

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Georganne Henson

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Georganne Henson

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Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2435 / MACR 2435, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

George J Shady: Gallery (1 items)