John served as a Flight Officer & Co-Pilot on B-24J "Sweat'er Gal" (#44-40053), 859th Bomber Squadron, 492nd Bomber Group, Eighth Air Force, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Massachusetts prior to the war.
While on a mission to bomb a airfield near Luneburg they were attacked by German Me-109's which damaged their B-24. On their return flight they were again hit by enemy flak. They got within 12 miles of the English Coast when, due to the damage they had sustained, the decision was made to bail out and when their B-24 hit the water it exploded. Only two airmen were saved and the remains of one was recovered.
John was declared "Missing In Action" and was awarded the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, and a Presidental Citation.
Service # T-061853
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Airmen who perished on B-24J (#44-40053):
Becker, George J., T/Sgt, Engineer, New York
Brown, Jack R., T/Sgt, Tail Gunner, Arkansas
Devine, George H., S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, Delaware
Higgins, John M., FO, Co-Pilot, Massachusetts
Knight, Lester W., 2nd Lt, Navigator, Missouri
Kuhn, Howard C., T/Sgt, Radio Operator, California
Roads, Carl B. Jr., 1st Lt, Pilot, Ohio
Taylor, Robert E., 2nd Lt, Bombardier, Texas
Airmen who survived:
David, Morton E., S/Sgt, Waist Gunner
Polzin, Gerald A., S/Sgt, Nose Gunner
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Massachusetts prior to the war.
While on a mission to bomb a airfield near Luneburg they were attacked by German Me-109's which damaged their B-24. On their return flight they were again hit by enemy flak. They got within 12 miles of the English Coast when, due to the damage they had sustained, the decision was made to bail out and when their B-24 hit the water it exploded. Only two airmen were saved and the remains of one was recovered.
John was declared "Missing In Action" and was awarded the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, and a Presidental Citation.
Service # T-061853
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Airmen who perished on B-24J (#44-40053):
Becker, George J., T/Sgt, Engineer, New York
Brown, Jack R., T/Sgt, Tail Gunner, Arkansas
Devine, George H., S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, Delaware
Higgins, John M., FO, Co-Pilot, Massachusetts
Knight, Lester W., 2nd Lt, Navigator, Missouri
Kuhn, Howard C., T/Sgt, Radio Operator, California
Roads, Carl B. Jr., 1st Lt, Pilot, Ohio
Taylor, Robert E., 2nd Lt, Bombardier, Texas
Airmen who survived:
David, Morton E., S/Sgt, Waist Gunner
Polzin, Gerald A., S/Sgt, Nose Gunner
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
John served as a Flight Officer & Co-Pilot on B-24J "Sweat'er Gal" (#44-40053), 859th Bomber Squadron, 492nd Bomber Group, Eighth Air Force, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Massachusetts prior to the war.
While on a mission to bomb a airfield near Luneburg they were attacked by German Me-109's which damaged their B-24. On their return flight they were again hit by enemy flak. They got within 12 miles of the English Coast when, due to the damage they had sustained, the decision was made to bail out and when their B-24 hit the water it exploded. Only two airmen were saved and the remains of one was recovered.
John was declared "Missing In Action" and was awarded the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, and a Presidental Citation.
Service # T-061853
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Airmen who perished on B-24J (#44-40053):
Becker, George J., T/Sgt, Engineer, New York
Brown, Jack R., T/Sgt, Tail Gunner, Arkansas
Devine, George H., S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, Delaware
Higgins, John M., FO, Co-Pilot, Massachusetts
Knight, Lester W., 2nd Lt, Navigator, Missouri
Kuhn, Howard C., T/Sgt, Radio Operator, California
Roads, Carl B. Jr., 1st Lt, Pilot, Ohio
Taylor, Robert E., 2nd Lt, Bombardier, Texas
Airmen who survived:
David, Morton E., S/Sgt, Waist Gunner
Polzin, Gerald A., S/Sgt, Nose Gunner
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Massachusetts prior to the war.
While on a mission to bomb a airfield near Luneburg they were attacked by German Me-109's which damaged their B-24. On their return flight they were again hit by enemy flak. They got within 12 miles of the English Coast when, due to the damage they had sustained, the decision was made to bail out and when their B-24 hit the water it exploded. Only two airmen were saved and the remains of one was recovered.
John was declared "Missing In Action" and was awarded the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, and a Presidental Citation.
Service # T-061853
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Airmen who perished on B-24J (#44-40053):
Becker, George J., T/Sgt, Engineer, New York
Brown, Jack R., T/Sgt, Tail Gunner, Arkansas
Devine, George H., S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, Delaware
Higgins, John M., FO, Co-Pilot, Massachusetts
Knight, Lester W., 2nd Lt, Navigator, Missouri
Kuhn, Howard C., T/Sgt, Radio Operator, California
Roads, Carl B. Jr., 1st Lt, Pilot, Ohio
Taylor, Robert E., 2nd Lt, Bombardier, Texas
Airmen who survived:
David, Morton E., S/Sgt, Waist Gunner
Polzin, Gerald A., S/Sgt, Nose Gunner
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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