Gerald George Gille
MilitaryAssigned to 506BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Brunswick mission 8-Apr-44 in B-24 42-7767 'Shack Rabbit'; Volunteered to crew on 67BS A/C. Shot down by fighters, baled out at low level. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 3849
Awards: PH, BS, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
In his own words; - “On the early morning of April 8th, 1944 I was awakened and asked if I would like to volunteer for the navigator’s; job, flying with the ‘foreign’ 67th Squadron. Being one mission behind my regular crew, I consented, and found myself with Lt Thom’s crew after breakfast. Our mission was to Brunswick with a direct route through ‘Flak Alley’.
“After assembly in the air, and crossing the European coast, I noticed we were having trouble keeping in formation. I always thought we should have aborted, but Lt. Thom was making every effort to keep up. Upon entering Germany, we were straggling badly, and sure enough, Me 109 enemy aircraft were attacking between eleven and one o’clock, high.
“It seemed as though they were about 10 abreast. The first pass they crippled two of our engines. Now we were really far behind our formation. On the second pass, they shot out the far left (#1) engine and our electrical system, and the remaining left engine, #2, was smoking. A 20-mm shell exploded just under the nose turret and blew out the nose wheel tire and covering. The bombsight also got a direct hit, saving my life, I believe, as only my right ankle caught the fragments.
“This all started at approximately 21,000 feet. After helping to get the bombardier (Alcott) out of the nose turret, I stood up and looked out the astrodome to see Lt. Thom motioning for us to bailout. We were in a flat spin, and after watching the altimeter slowly winding down, I checked my chute straps, zipped my leather jacket closed, after making sure I had escape rations. I decided to forget about my flight cap, checked the altimeter again – it was at 6,000 feet – stood up and looked out the nose astrodome again and saw no one left, and got ready to jump. The last reading on the altimeter was 1500 feet when I dived out the missing nose door head first.
“We were in the suburbs of Hannover when the plane crashed and exploded. (So the MACR data was incorrect) I found myself landing in a two acre ploughed field with a sprained, wounded right ankle, with blood running out of my G.I. boot. I was gathering my parachute together when a German soldier on a motorcycle came to me off the road, into the field where I was. He jumped off his motorcycle and pointed his rifle at me, yelling, ‘Pistol? Pistol?’ I said ‘Nein’ and offered him some chewing gum, which he declined.
“I tried to explain to him about my damaged ankle and that it was hard for me to walk. But he
forced me to carry my gathered parachute down the road approximately one-half a mile to a flak tower. Then I was able to sit down on the mound levee around the flak gun. Several of our crew’s sergeants soon were captured and brought to this same assemblage where I found out all of the crew got out safely!”
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
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 44th Bomb Group 67th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 16060557 / O-742628
- Highest Rank: Colonel
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Shack Rabbit
- Unit: 448th Bomb Group 44th Bomb Group 67th Bomb Squadron 712th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 8 April 1944
Places
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Dulag Luft Grosstychow Dulag 12
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Pathway
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Quincy, Illinois, USA | 22 August 1920 | Son of Harry Edward and Gladys A [L] Gille. |
Enlisted |
Peoria, IL | 1 March 1942 | |
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Wetzlar, Germany | 8 April 1944 | Prisoner of War (POW). Adjutant Dulag Luft 2. |
Other Baled out POW |
Hanover, Germany | 8 April 1944 | Failed to Return (FTR) Brunswick mission 8-Apr-44 in B-24 42-7767 'Shack Rabbit'; Shot down by fighters, baled out at low level. POW. MACR 3849 |
Other Discharged USAAF |
13 November 1945 | Honourable discharge. | |
Died |
Springfield, OH | 7 July 2000 | |
Buried |
Dayton Memorial Park Cemetery, Dayton, OH | 10 July 2000 | Dayton Memorial Park Cemetery Dayton, Montgomery County, OH Plot 14 400 6 |
Based Prisoner of War (POW) |
Shipdham | 8 April 1944 | Assigned to 506BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. |
Revisions
https://www.fold3.com/image/29627742
https://www.fold3.com/image/32018931
https://www.fold3.com/image/654724973
https://www.fold3.com/record/39696695-gerald-g-gille
https://www.fold3.com/record/84386643-gerald-g-gille
https://www.fold3.com/image/97279848?rec=98742404
https://www.fold3.com/record/624355936-gerald-gille-1920
http://users.psln.com/~pete/pow_george_thom.htm
https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/357446
http://greenharbor.com/ROHPDF/ROHA44.pdf
http://www.486th.org/Photos/Stammlager/KU3738/DulagLuft2.htm
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/139654379/gerald-g_-gille
https://www.fold3.com/image/29627742
https://www.fold3.com/image/654724973
https://www.fold3.com/record/39696695-gerald-g-gille
https://www.fold3.com/record/84386643-gerald-g-gille
https://www.fold3.com/image/97279848?rec=98742404
https://www.fold3.com/record/624355936-gerald-gille-1920
http://users.psln.com/~pete/pow_george_thom.htm
https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/357446
http://greenharbor.com/ROHPDF/ROHA44.pdf
http://www.486th.org/Photos/Stammlager/KU3738/DulagLuft2.htm
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/139654379/gerald-g_-gille
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3849 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database