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Glen Edward Alfter

Military

  • Sergeant Glen E Alfter of the 545th Bomb Squadron, 384th Bomb Group.

    Sergeant Glen E Alfter of the 545th Bomb Squadron, 384th Bomb Group.

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  • Crew Chief Herman Efland stands in front of B-17 42-37816 JD-S, BIG STUPE V, 545th Bomb Squadron, 384th Bomb Group.

    Crew Chief Herman Efland stands in front of B-17 42-37816 JD-S, BIG STUPE V, 545th Bomb Squadron, 384th Bomb Group.

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  • 42-37816 JD-A, BIG STUPE V, 545th Bomb Squadron, 384th Bomb Group. Shot down on 8th AF mission #301, 13 April 1944.

    42-37816 JD-A, BIG STUPE V, 545th Bomb Squadron, 384th Bomb Group. Shot down on 8th AF mission #301, 13 April 1944.

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  • SSgt Glen E. Alfter Shot down on 23rd mission to Schweinfurt, Germany on 13 April 1944. Captured in the village of Rambucourt, France that same day. Treated in a hospital in Nancy, France by German military doctors. Transported to Frankfurt, Germany for interrogation and later transported by prisoner train to Stalag Luft XVII in Krems, Austria. Liberated by the American Army in Bavaria, Germany in May 1945.

    SSgt Glen E. Alfter Shot down on 23rd mission to Schweinfurt, Germany on 13 April 1944. Captured in the village of Rambucourt, France that same day. Treated in a hospital in Nancy, France by German military doctors. Transported to Frankfurt, Germany for interrogation and later transported by prisoner train to Stalag Luft XVII in Krems, Austria. Liberated by the American Army in Bavaria, Germany in May 1945.

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Shot down 13 April 1944 during Schweinfurt raid in B-17 #42-37816 'Big Stupe'. Wounded by shrapnel along with the pilot and navigator before crash landing at Rambucourt, France. Captured and incarcerated at Stalag Luft XVII B. Liberated May 1945. Continued service in USAF until March 1973.

AM w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster/ EAME/ WW II VM/ POW

Service

Units served with

  • 384th Bomb Group

    384th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 384th Bomb Group flew B-17s from Grafton Underwood, Northamptonshire, between May 1943 and June 1945. They were engaged in daylight bombing missions over Germany as part of the Allies' efforts to destroy the effectiveness of the Luftwaffe by...

  • 545th Bomb Squadron

    545th Bomb Squadron

    Squadron

Aircraft

  • 42-37816 BIG STUPE V

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Long Beach 10/9/43; Gr Island 27/9/43; Assigned 545BS/384BG [JD-S] Grafton Underwood 18/10/43; Missing in Action Schweinfurt 13/4/44 with Francis (Farris) Heffley, Navigator: Lou Carini, Radio Operator: Bill Shade, Waist gunner: Ralph Gatzman...

Missions

  • 301

    13 April 1944

Associated Place

  • Grafton Underwood

    Military site : airfield
    Grafton Underwood was built in 1941 by George Wimpey and Co. Ltd. It was the first airfield in England to receive an Eighth Air Force flying unit, when in May 1942 personnel of the 15th Bomb Squadron took up residence. As a satellite airfield for...

Events

Event Location Date
Born Dwight, Illinois, USA 26 September 1924
Assigned Grafton Underwood, Kettering, Northamptonshire NN14, UK 5 December 1943

Assigned to the 384th BG 545th BS on AAF Station 106 Special Orders #160 dated 5 December 1943, Ferris Ormond Heffley Crew. 23 combat missions.
Prisoner of War (POW) Germany 13 April 1944 – May 1945
Enlisted Illinois, USA 23 November 1945

Second Enlistment
Technical Sergeant, Air Corps
Died 1 August 1982

Burial:
Riverside National Cemetery
Riverside
Riverside County
California, USA
Plot: 1, 0, 813
Nationality
American
Nickname
Not yet known
Service numbers
16170253
Highest rank
Staff Sergeant
Role/job
Tail Gunner
Awards
  • Air Medal with 3 oak leaf clusters
  • European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
  • Prisoner of War Medal
  • Purple Heart

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
04 March 2020 20:33:00 jmoore43 Changes to biography
Sources

Added some info to the "Summary biography" gleaned from a presentation by the son of the Tail Gunner, Col. Frank Alfter (USAF Retired).
Date Contributor Update
19 February 2020 01:59:14 jmoore43 Changes to biography
Sources

Removed a space in the "Summary biography" for readability.
Date Contributor Update
08 January 2017 23:57:07 bombercommand Changes to media associations
Sources

http://www.384thbombgroup.com/
Date Contributor Update
21 February 2016 18:18:06 bombercommand Changes to middlename, biography, awards, events, place associations and mission associations
Sources

http://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/person.php?PersonKey=43

https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&cat=WR26&tf...

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=alfter&GSfn=g&GSby...
Date Contributor Update
22 February 2015 02:52:08 bombercommand Changes to awards
Sources

americanairmuseum.com
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:11:29 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3868 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / family, MACR 3868, http://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/PersonnelSearch.php?LastName=a...

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