Howard DeMallie
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 447th Bomb Group
Prisoner of War (POW) crashed near Mepple on 12/6/44 in B-17 'Blanco Diablo' #42102658
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Harold S Derr Jr
Military
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S/Sgt Harold S. Derr, Jr Radio Operator, B-17G Blanco Diablo 447th BG, 708 BS, Rattlesden, England, 1944
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1944 - Blanco Diablo (B-17G 42-102658), DeMallie Crew. Back Row: Jow Marlowe, Loel Bishop, Don Holmes, Hank Rutkowski, Lowell Strain, Harold S. Derr, Jr. Front Row: Howard DeMallie, Chuck Olson, Bill Leader, Dick Fuller.
Prisoner of War (POW) crashed on 12/6/44 near Mepple in B-17 'Blanco Diablo' #42102658
Service
People
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Richard Fuller
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 447th Bomb Group
Evaded (EVD) Crashed near Mepple on 12/6/44 in B-17 'Blanco Diablo' #42102658. He was only member of crew to escape. Spent 5 months with Dutch Underground. Returned to Allied Control 1 Apr 45 Pilot was Richard De Mellie -
Donald Holmes
Military | Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Prisoner of War (POW) crashed on 12/6/44 near Mepple in B-17 'Blanco Diablo' #42102658 -
Joe Marlowe
Military | Sergeant | Bombardier | 447th Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) crashed near Mepple in B-17 'Blanco Diablo' #42102658 -
Henry Rutkowski
Military | Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Prisoner of War (POW) crashed on 12/6/44 near Mepple in B-17 'Blanco Diablo #42102658 -
Lowell Strain
Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Prisoner of War (POW) crashed on 12/6/44 near Mepple in B-17 'Blanco Diablo' #42102658
Units served with
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447th Bomb Group
Group
The 447th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses on strategic bombardment missions out of Rattlesden, Suffolk. With their first mission coming on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1943, their main focus was hitting sites that would weaken enemy forces... -
708th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
Aircraft
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42-102658 Blanco Diablo
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 23/3/44; Gr Island 12/45/44; Dow Fd 28/4/44; Assigned 708BS/447BG Rattlesden 30/4/44; Missing in Action Merseburg 6/12/44 with Howard DeMallie, Chas Olson, Don Holmes, Howard Derp, Lowell Strain, Henry Rutkowski, Loel Bishop (7...
Associated Place
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Rattlesden
Military site : airfield
Built for the Eighth Air Force in 1942, Rattlesden had three concrete runways, 50 hardstandings and two dispersed T2 hangars. Intended to be a twin-engine B-26 bomber base, it was originally a satellite for nearby Rougham, and first occupied from... -
Stalag Luft I
Other location
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Born | Watsontown, Pennsylvania | 16 October 1918 |
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 17 February 2018 19:14:57 | BruceDerr | Changes to highest rank |
| Sources | ||
Special Orders, Headquarters San Antonio District, AAF Personnel Distribution Commad, San Antonio, Texas, 29 September 1945, effectice 1 Oct 1945: |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 February 2018 19:07:39 | BruceDerr | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Birth Certificate |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 February 2018 18:52:46 | BruceDerr | Changes to service number, person associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
Missing Aircraft Crew Report (MACR) 11052 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 February 2018 18:42:44 | BruceDerr | Changes to surname, firstname and nickname |
| Sources | ||
Harold S Derr Jr was my Father, service number 13022055, who served in the 447th BG, 708 BS, based at Rattlesden, England. He flew with the Howard DeMallie crew on Blanco Diablo (B-17G 42-102658). He was on the plane when it was shot down on a mission to Merseberg, Dec 6, 1944. He was captured and spent the remainder of the war in Stalag Luft I. Verification of this information can be found in Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 11052 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:13:19 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 11052 |
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