Memorial Site here
~~~~
The following provided by usefdo (48612389)
Killed in action, August 1 1943 in Ploesti, Romania while a member of the USAAF 9th Air Force, 98th Bomb Group. Joe was a bombardier on the B-24, "Old Baldy". He had completed his twenty-five missions when he and his crewmates were lost in "Operation Tidal Wave", a high casualty, low level bombing raid designed to destroy Hitler's oil refineries at Ploesti.
For seventy-six years Joe's identity was known only to God. But through the relentless efforts of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, and the scientific wonder of DNA, he has been identified and has returned to his family, and will be, finally, laid to rest beside his mother. For his heroism and valor during WWII, Joe was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster and the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters.
Joe was born and raised in Needham, MA. He was, by his sister Katherine's telling, a kind and easy-going soul. His mother, Irish-born, was Mary Agnes (Murphy) Finneran, and his father was Patrick Joseph Finneran. He had one sister, Katherine Glennon, and four brothers, Lawrence, Thomas, Patrick and John. For years, he was associated with the Needham Golf Course, first as a caddy, later as assistant pro. The family moved to Boston where Joe graduated from Jamaica Plain High School, class of 1939, a standout athlete.
Joe enlisted in the USAAF eleven days after Pearl Harbor. He was stationed in Benghazi, Libya, and was one of the very first Catholic bombardiers to participate in the bombing of Rome. He was only twenty-two when he was killed in service to his country.
Joe is survived by his nephews William Glennon of Quincy, MA and Robert Finneran of Walpole, MA, and his nieces Mimi Finneran and Sheila Creighton of Vero Beach, FL, Gail Finneran of Jacksonville, FL and Mary Anne Baker of Attleboro, MA.
Funeral from the George F. Doherty Funeral Home, 1305 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA. Visiting hours Friday November 8th, from 4-7pm. A mass of Christian burial will be performed at St. Joseph Church, 1382 Highland Avenue , Needham, MA, where Joe was baptized, Saturday November 9th at 10am. Graveside benediction, with full military honors, to follow the funeral mass at Mount Benedict Cemetery, 409 Corey Street, West Roxbury, MA. The public is most cordially invited to participate in any part of this tribute to our uncle, 1st Lieut. Joseph E. Finneran, a true American hero.
The following provided by SBR (49039178):
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced U.S Army Air Forces First Lieutenant Joseph E. Finneran, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 9, 2019.
In the summer of 1943, Finneran was a bombardier assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), known as the Pyramidiers. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24D aircraft on which Finneran served (tail #42-40102; "Old Baldy") crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation Tidal Wave, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. Of the Americans killed, only 27 could be identified, not including 1Lt Finneran.
He is permanently memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery, Florence, Italy (Find A Grave Memorial 55903191). From Contributor (48612389)
FUNERAL ANNOUNCEMENT & OBITUARY FINNERAN, 1st Lieut. Joseph Edward
Killed in action, August 1 1943 in Ploesti, Romania while a member of the USAAF 9th Air Force, 98th Bomb Group. Joe was a bombardier on the B-24, "Old Baldy". He had completed his twenty-five missions when he and his crewmates were lost in "Operation Tidal Wave", a high casualty, low level bombing raid designed to destroy Hitler's oil refineries at Ploesti.
For seventy-six years Joe's identity was known only to God. But through the relentless efforts of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, and the scientific wonder of DNA, he has been identified and has returned to his family, and will be, finally, laid to rest beside his mother. For his heroism and valor during WWII, Joe was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster and the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters.
Joe was born and raised in Needham, MA. He was, by his sister Katherine's telling, a kind and easy-going soul. His mother, Irish-born, was Mary Agnes (Murphy) Finneran, and his father was Patrick Joseph Finneran. He had one sister, Katherine Glennon, and four brothers, Lawrence, Thomas, Patrick and John. For years, he was associated with the Needham Golf Course, first as a caddy, later as assistant pro. The family moved to Boston where Joe graduated from Jamaica Plain High School, class of 1939, a standout athlete.
Joe enlisted in the USAAF eleven days after Pearl Harbor. He was stationed in Benghazi, Libya, and was one of the very first Catholic bombardiers to participate in the bombing of Rome. He was only twenty-two when he was killed in service to his country.
Joe is survived by his nephews William Glennon of Quincy, MA and Robert Finneran of Walpole, MA, and his nieces Mimi Finneran and Sheila Creighton of Vero Beach, FL, Gail Finneran of Jacksonville, FL and Mary Anne Baker of Attleboro, MA.
Funeral from the George F. Doherty Funeral Home, 1305 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA. Visiting hours Friday November 8th, from 4-7pm. A mass of Christian burial will be performed at St. Joseph Church, 1382 Highland Avenue , Needham, MA, where Joe was baptized, Saturday November 9th at 10am. Graveside benediction, with full military honors, to follow the funeral mass at Mount Benedict Cemetery, 409 Corey Street, West Roxbury, MA.
The public is most cordially invited to participate in any part of this tribute to our uncle, 1st Lieut. Joseph E. Finneran, a true American hero.
---------------------------------------------
From Contributor (49039178)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lieutenant Joseph E. Finneran, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 9, 2019.
In the summer of 1943, 1Lt Finneran was a bombardier assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), known as the Pyramidiers. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24D aircraft on which Finneran served crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation Tidal Wave, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. Of the Americans killed, only 27 could be identified, not including Finneran.
---------------------------------------------------
Bombardier 1st/Lt. Joseph E. Finneran DFC MIA/KIA
Hometown: Jamaica Plain, Miss.
Squadron: 345th BS 98th Bomb Group
Service# O-661605
Awards: Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters
Pilot 1st/Lt. John J. Dore Jr. SS DFC MIA/KIA
Target; Low level mission to destroy Rumanian Oil Fields August 1 1943. Ploesti.
Missing Air Crew Report Details
USAAF MACR#:
Date Lost: 1-Aug-43
Serial Number: 42-40102
Aircraft Model B-24D
Aircraft Letter: T
Aircraft Name: OLD BALDY
Location: Lost near the target, Ploesti
Cause: AA hit point blank at 30 feet or less from a Rumanian 80 mm. Crew 10 10KIA
Lt.Finneran lost his life in action while on duty with the 98th Bomb Group for "Operation Tidal Wave " one of the most daring raids of WW2. Coming in at tree top level the crew of OLD BALDY destroy Rumanian oil refineries. Lt. Finneran was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for valor on this mission.
Lt.Finneran appears Tablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery Florence, Italy his remains were never recovered or identified.
Crew of OLD BALDY
1st/Lt. John J. Dore Jr. Pilot
2nd/Lt. John B. Stallings Co Pilot
1st/Lt. Worthington A Franks Navigator
1st/Lt. Joseph E. Finneran Bombardier
T/Sgt. Frank Ardith Norris Engineer
T/Sgt. Frank Ardith Norris Engineer
T/Sgt. Max W. Lower Engineer
T/Sgt. Max W. Lower Engineer
S/Sgt. Joseph Rocco Iosco Gunner
S/Sgt. Ray L. Gleason Gunner
S/Sgt. Wesley L. Jones Gunner
S/Sgt. Stanley L. Packer Gunner
~~~~
The following provided by usefdo (48612389)
Killed in action, August 1 1943 in Ploesti, Romania while a member of the USAAF 9th Air Force, 98th Bomb Group. Joe was a bombardier on the B-24, "Old Baldy". He had completed his twenty-five missions when he and his crewmates were lost in "Operation Tidal Wave", a high casualty, low level bombing raid designed to destroy Hitler's oil refineries at Ploesti.
For seventy-six years Joe's identity was known only to God. But through the relentless efforts of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, and the scientific wonder of DNA, he has been identified and has returned to his family, and will be, finally, laid to rest beside his mother. For his heroism and valor during WWII, Joe was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster and the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters.
Joe was born and raised in Needham, MA. He was, by his sister Katherine's telling, a kind and easy-going soul. His mother, Irish-born, was Mary Agnes (Murphy) Finneran, and his father was Patrick Joseph Finneran. He had one sister, Katherine Glennon, and four brothers, Lawrence, Thomas, Patrick and John. For years, he was associated with the Needham Golf Course, first as a caddy, later as assistant pro. The family moved to Boston where Joe graduated from Jamaica Plain High School, class of 1939, a standout athlete.
Joe enlisted in the USAAF eleven days after Pearl Harbor. He was stationed in Benghazi, Libya, and was one of the very first Catholic bombardiers to participate in the bombing of Rome. He was only twenty-two when he was killed in service to his country.
Joe is survived by his nephews William Glennon of Quincy, MA and Robert Finneran of Walpole, MA, and his nieces Mimi Finneran and Sheila Creighton of Vero Beach, FL, Gail Finneran of Jacksonville, FL and Mary Anne Baker of Attleboro, MA.
Funeral from the George F. Doherty Funeral Home, 1305 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA. Visiting hours Friday November 8th, from 4-7pm. A mass of Christian burial will be performed at St. Joseph Church, 1382 Highland Avenue , Needham, MA, where Joe was baptized, Saturday November 9th at 10am. Graveside benediction, with full military honors, to follow the funeral mass at Mount Benedict Cemetery, 409 Corey Street, West Roxbury, MA. The public is most cordially invited to participate in any part of this tribute to our uncle, 1st Lieut. Joseph E. Finneran, a true American hero.
The following provided by SBR (49039178):
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced U.S Army Air Forces First Lieutenant Joseph E. Finneran, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 9, 2019.
In the summer of 1943, Finneran was a bombardier assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), known as the Pyramidiers. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24D aircraft on which Finneran served (tail #42-40102; "Old Baldy") crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation Tidal Wave, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. Of the Americans killed, only 27 could be identified, not including 1Lt Finneran.
He is permanently memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery, Florence, Italy (Find A Grave Memorial 55903191). From Contributor (48612389)
FUNERAL ANNOUNCEMENT & OBITUARY FINNERAN, 1st Lieut. Joseph Edward
Killed in action, August 1 1943 in Ploesti, Romania while a member of the USAAF 9th Air Force, 98th Bomb Group. Joe was a bombardier on the B-24, "Old Baldy". He had completed his twenty-five missions when he and his crewmates were lost in "Operation Tidal Wave", a high casualty, low level bombing raid designed to destroy Hitler's oil refineries at Ploesti.
For seventy-six years Joe's identity was known only to God. But through the relentless efforts of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, and the scientific wonder of DNA, he has been identified and has returned to his family, and will be, finally, laid to rest beside his mother. For his heroism and valor during WWII, Joe was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster and the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters.
Joe was born and raised in Needham, MA. He was, by his sister Katherine's telling, a kind and easy-going soul. His mother, Irish-born, was Mary Agnes (Murphy) Finneran, and his father was Patrick Joseph Finneran. He had one sister, Katherine Glennon, and four brothers, Lawrence, Thomas, Patrick and John. For years, he was associated with the Needham Golf Course, first as a caddy, later as assistant pro. The family moved to Boston where Joe graduated from Jamaica Plain High School, class of 1939, a standout athlete.
Joe enlisted in the USAAF eleven days after Pearl Harbor. He was stationed in Benghazi, Libya, and was one of the very first Catholic bombardiers to participate in the bombing of Rome. He was only twenty-two when he was killed in service to his country.
Joe is survived by his nephews William Glennon of Quincy, MA and Robert Finneran of Walpole, MA, and his nieces Mimi Finneran and Sheila Creighton of Vero Beach, FL, Gail Finneran of Jacksonville, FL and Mary Anne Baker of Attleboro, MA.
Funeral from the George F. Doherty Funeral Home, 1305 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA. Visiting hours Friday November 8th, from 4-7pm. A mass of Christian burial will be performed at St. Joseph Church, 1382 Highland Avenue , Needham, MA, where Joe was baptized, Saturday November 9th at 10am. Graveside benediction, with full military honors, to follow the funeral mass at Mount Benedict Cemetery, 409 Corey Street, West Roxbury, MA.
The public is most cordially invited to participate in any part of this tribute to our uncle, 1st Lieut. Joseph E. Finneran, a true American hero.
---------------------------------------------
From Contributor (49039178)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lieutenant Joseph E. Finneran, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 9, 2019.
In the summer of 1943, 1Lt Finneran was a bombardier assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), known as the Pyramidiers. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24D aircraft on which Finneran served crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation Tidal Wave, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. Of the Americans killed, only 27 could be identified, not including Finneran.
---------------------------------------------------
Bombardier 1st/Lt. Joseph E. Finneran DFC MIA/KIA
Hometown: Jamaica Plain, Miss.
Squadron: 345th BS 98th Bomb Group
Service# O-661605
Awards: Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters
Pilot 1st/Lt. John J. Dore Jr. SS DFC MIA/KIA
Target; Low level mission to destroy Rumanian Oil Fields August 1 1943. Ploesti.
Missing Air Crew Report Details
USAAF MACR#:
Date Lost: 1-Aug-43
Serial Number: 42-40102
Aircraft Model B-24D
Aircraft Letter: T
Aircraft Name: OLD BALDY
Location: Lost near the target, Ploesti
Cause: AA hit point blank at 30 feet or less from a Rumanian 80 mm. Crew 10 10KIA
Lt.Finneran lost his life in action while on duty with the 98th Bomb Group for "Operation Tidal Wave " one of the most daring raids of WW2. Coming in at tree top level the crew of OLD BALDY destroy Rumanian oil refineries. Lt. Finneran was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for valor on this mission.
Lt.Finneran appears Tablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery Florence, Italy his remains were never recovered or identified.
Crew of OLD BALDY
1st/Lt. John J. Dore Jr. Pilot
2nd/Lt. John B. Stallings Co Pilot
1st/Lt. Worthington A Franks Navigator
1st/Lt. Joseph E. Finneran Bombardier
T/Sgt. Frank Ardith Norris Engineer
T/Sgt. Frank Ardith Norris Engineer
T/Sgt. Max W. Lower Engineer
T/Sgt. Max W. Lower Engineer
S/Sgt. Joseph Rocco Iosco Gunner
S/Sgt. Ray L. Gleason Gunner
S/Sgt. Wesley L. Jones Gunner
S/Sgt. Stanley L. Packer Gunner
Memorial Site here
~~~~
The following provided by usefdo (48612389)
Killed in action, August 1 1943 in Ploesti, Romania while a member of the USAAF 9th Air Force, 98th Bomb Group. Joe was a bombardier on the B-24, "Old Baldy". He had completed his twenty-five missions when he and his crewmates were lost in "Operation Tidal Wave", a high casualty, low level bombing raid designed to destroy Hitler's oil refineries at Ploesti.
For seventy-six years Joe's identity was known only to God. But through the relentless efforts of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, and the scientific wonder of DNA, he has been identified and has returned to his family, and will be, finally, laid to rest beside his mother. For his heroism and valor during WWII, Joe was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster and the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters.
Joe was born and raised in Needham, MA. He was, by his sister Katherine's telling, a kind and easy-going soul. His mother, Irish-born, was Mary Agnes (Murphy) Finneran, and his father was Patrick Joseph Finneran. He had one sister, Katherine Glennon, and four brothers, Lawrence, Thomas, Patrick and John. For years, he was associated with the Needham Golf Course, first as a caddy, later as assistant pro. The family moved to Boston where Joe graduated from Jamaica Plain High School, class of 1939, a standout athlete.
Joe enlisted in the USAAF eleven days after Pearl Harbor. He was stationed in Benghazi, Libya, and was one of the very first Catholic bombardiers to participate in the bombing of Rome. He was only twenty-two when he was killed in service to his country.
Joe is survived by his nephews William Glennon of Quincy, MA and Robert Finneran of Walpole, MA, and his nieces Mimi Finneran and Sheila Creighton of Vero Beach, FL, Gail Finneran of Jacksonville, FL and Mary Anne Baker of Attleboro, MA.
Funeral from the George F. Doherty Funeral Home, 1305 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA. Visiting hours Friday November 8th, from 4-7pm. A mass of Christian burial will be performed at St. Joseph Church, 1382 Highland Avenue , Needham, MA, where Joe was baptized, Saturday November 9th at 10am. Graveside benediction, with full military honors, to follow the funeral mass at Mount Benedict Cemetery, 409 Corey Street, West Roxbury, MA. The public is most cordially invited to participate in any part of this tribute to our uncle, 1st Lieut. Joseph E. Finneran, a true American hero.
The following provided by SBR (49039178):
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced U.S Army Air Forces First Lieutenant Joseph E. Finneran, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 9, 2019.
In the summer of 1943, Finneran was a bombardier assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), known as the Pyramidiers. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24D aircraft on which Finneran served (tail #42-40102; "Old Baldy") crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation Tidal Wave, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. Of the Americans killed, only 27 could be identified, not including 1Lt Finneran.
He is permanently memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery, Florence, Italy (Find A Grave Memorial 55903191). From Contributor (48612389)
FUNERAL ANNOUNCEMENT & OBITUARY FINNERAN, 1st Lieut. Joseph Edward
Killed in action, August 1 1943 in Ploesti, Romania while a member of the USAAF 9th Air Force, 98th Bomb Group. Joe was a bombardier on the B-24, "Old Baldy". He had completed his twenty-five missions when he and his crewmates were lost in "Operation Tidal Wave", a high casualty, low level bombing raid designed to destroy Hitler's oil refineries at Ploesti.
For seventy-six years Joe's identity was known only to God. But through the relentless efforts of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, and the scientific wonder of DNA, he has been identified and has returned to his family, and will be, finally, laid to rest beside his mother. For his heroism and valor during WWII, Joe was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster and the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters.
Joe was born and raised in Needham, MA. He was, by his sister Katherine's telling, a kind and easy-going soul. His mother, Irish-born, was Mary Agnes (Murphy) Finneran, and his father was Patrick Joseph Finneran. He had one sister, Katherine Glennon, and four brothers, Lawrence, Thomas, Patrick and John. For years, he was associated with the Needham Golf Course, first as a caddy, later as assistant pro. The family moved to Boston where Joe graduated from Jamaica Plain High School, class of 1939, a standout athlete.
Joe enlisted in the USAAF eleven days after Pearl Harbor. He was stationed in Benghazi, Libya, and was one of the very first Catholic bombardiers to participate in the bombing of Rome. He was only twenty-two when he was killed in service to his country.
Joe is survived by his nephews William Glennon of Quincy, MA and Robert Finneran of Walpole, MA, and his nieces Mimi Finneran and Sheila Creighton of Vero Beach, FL, Gail Finneran of Jacksonville, FL and Mary Anne Baker of Attleboro, MA.
Funeral from the George F. Doherty Funeral Home, 1305 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA. Visiting hours Friday November 8th, from 4-7pm. A mass of Christian burial will be performed at St. Joseph Church, 1382 Highland Avenue , Needham, MA, where Joe was baptized, Saturday November 9th at 10am. Graveside benediction, with full military honors, to follow the funeral mass at Mount Benedict Cemetery, 409 Corey Street, West Roxbury, MA.
The public is most cordially invited to participate in any part of this tribute to our uncle, 1st Lieut. Joseph E. Finneran, a true American hero.
---------------------------------------------
From Contributor (49039178)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lieutenant Joseph E. Finneran, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 9, 2019.
In the summer of 1943, 1Lt Finneran was a bombardier assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), known as the Pyramidiers. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24D aircraft on which Finneran served crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation Tidal Wave, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. Of the Americans killed, only 27 could be identified, not including Finneran.
---------------------------------------------------
Bombardier 1st/Lt. Joseph E. Finneran DFC MIA/KIA
Hometown: Jamaica Plain, Miss.
Squadron: 345th BS 98th Bomb Group
Service# O-661605
Awards: Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters
Pilot 1st/Lt. John J. Dore Jr. SS DFC MIA/KIA
Target; Low level mission to destroy Rumanian Oil Fields August 1 1943. Ploesti.
Missing Air Crew Report Details
USAAF MACR#:
Date Lost: 1-Aug-43
Serial Number: 42-40102
Aircraft Model B-24D
Aircraft Letter: T
Aircraft Name: OLD BALDY
Location: Lost near the target, Ploesti
Cause: AA hit point blank at 30 feet or less from a Rumanian 80 mm. Crew 10 10KIA
Lt.Finneran lost his life in action while on duty with the 98th Bomb Group for "Operation Tidal Wave " one of the most daring raids of WW2. Coming in at tree top level the crew of OLD BALDY destroy Rumanian oil refineries. Lt. Finneran was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for valor on this mission.
Lt.Finneran appears Tablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery Florence, Italy his remains were never recovered or identified.
Crew of OLD BALDY
1st/Lt. John J. Dore Jr. Pilot
2nd/Lt. John B. Stallings Co Pilot
1st/Lt. Worthington A Franks Navigator
1st/Lt. Joseph E. Finneran Bombardier
T/Sgt. Frank Ardith Norris Engineer
T/Sgt. Frank Ardith Norris Engineer
T/Sgt. Max W. Lower Engineer
T/Sgt. Max W. Lower Engineer
S/Sgt. Joseph Rocco Iosco Gunner
S/Sgt. Ray L. Gleason Gunner
S/Sgt. Wesley L. Jones Gunner
S/Sgt. Stanley L. Packer Gunner
~~~~
The following provided by usefdo (48612389)
Killed in action, August 1 1943 in Ploesti, Romania while a member of the USAAF 9th Air Force, 98th Bomb Group. Joe was a bombardier on the B-24, "Old Baldy". He had completed his twenty-five missions when he and his crewmates were lost in "Operation Tidal Wave", a high casualty, low level bombing raid designed to destroy Hitler's oil refineries at Ploesti.
For seventy-six years Joe's identity was known only to God. But through the relentless efforts of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, and the scientific wonder of DNA, he has been identified and has returned to his family, and will be, finally, laid to rest beside his mother. For his heroism and valor during WWII, Joe was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster and the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters.
Joe was born and raised in Needham, MA. He was, by his sister Katherine's telling, a kind and easy-going soul. His mother, Irish-born, was Mary Agnes (Murphy) Finneran, and his father was Patrick Joseph Finneran. He had one sister, Katherine Glennon, and four brothers, Lawrence, Thomas, Patrick and John. For years, he was associated with the Needham Golf Course, first as a caddy, later as assistant pro. The family moved to Boston where Joe graduated from Jamaica Plain High School, class of 1939, a standout athlete.
Joe enlisted in the USAAF eleven days after Pearl Harbor. He was stationed in Benghazi, Libya, and was one of the very first Catholic bombardiers to participate in the bombing of Rome. He was only twenty-two when he was killed in service to his country.
Joe is survived by his nephews William Glennon of Quincy, MA and Robert Finneran of Walpole, MA, and his nieces Mimi Finneran and Sheila Creighton of Vero Beach, FL, Gail Finneran of Jacksonville, FL and Mary Anne Baker of Attleboro, MA.
Funeral from the George F. Doherty Funeral Home, 1305 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA. Visiting hours Friday November 8th, from 4-7pm. A mass of Christian burial will be performed at St. Joseph Church, 1382 Highland Avenue , Needham, MA, where Joe was baptized, Saturday November 9th at 10am. Graveside benediction, with full military honors, to follow the funeral mass at Mount Benedict Cemetery, 409 Corey Street, West Roxbury, MA. The public is most cordially invited to participate in any part of this tribute to our uncle, 1st Lieut. Joseph E. Finneran, a true American hero.
The following provided by SBR (49039178):
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced U.S Army Air Forces First Lieutenant Joseph E. Finneran, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 9, 2019.
In the summer of 1943, Finneran was a bombardier assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), known as the Pyramidiers. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24D aircraft on which Finneran served (tail #42-40102; "Old Baldy") crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation Tidal Wave, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. Of the Americans killed, only 27 could be identified, not including 1Lt Finneran.
He is permanently memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery, Florence, Italy (Find A Grave Memorial 55903191). From Contributor (48612389)
FUNERAL ANNOUNCEMENT & OBITUARY FINNERAN, 1st Lieut. Joseph Edward
Killed in action, August 1 1943 in Ploesti, Romania while a member of the USAAF 9th Air Force, 98th Bomb Group. Joe was a bombardier on the B-24, "Old Baldy". He had completed his twenty-five missions when he and his crewmates were lost in "Operation Tidal Wave", a high casualty, low level bombing raid designed to destroy Hitler's oil refineries at Ploesti.
For seventy-six years Joe's identity was known only to God. But through the relentless efforts of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, and the scientific wonder of DNA, he has been identified and has returned to his family, and will be, finally, laid to rest beside his mother. For his heroism and valor during WWII, Joe was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster and the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters.
Joe was born and raised in Needham, MA. He was, by his sister Katherine's telling, a kind and easy-going soul. His mother, Irish-born, was Mary Agnes (Murphy) Finneran, and his father was Patrick Joseph Finneran. He had one sister, Katherine Glennon, and four brothers, Lawrence, Thomas, Patrick and John. For years, he was associated with the Needham Golf Course, first as a caddy, later as assistant pro. The family moved to Boston where Joe graduated from Jamaica Plain High School, class of 1939, a standout athlete.
Joe enlisted in the USAAF eleven days after Pearl Harbor. He was stationed in Benghazi, Libya, and was one of the very first Catholic bombardiers to participate in the bombing of Rome. He was only twenty-two when he was killed in service to his country.
Joe is survived by his nephews William Glennon of Quincy, MA and Robert Finneran of Walpole, MA, and his nieces Mimi Finneran and Sheila Creighton of Vero Beach, FL, Gail Finneran of Jacksonville, FL and Mary Anne Baker of Attleboro, MA.
Funeral from the George F. Doherty Funeral Home, 1305 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA. Visiting hours Friday November 8th, from 4-7pm. A mass of Christian burial will be performed at St. Joseph Church, 1382 Highland Avenue , Needham, MA, where Joe was baptized, Saturday November 9th at 10am. Graveside benediction, with full military honors, to follow the funeral mass at Mount Benedict Cemetery, 409 Corey Street, West Roxbury, MA.
The public is most cordially invited to participate in any part of this tribute to our uncle, 1st Lieut. Joseph E. Finneran, a true American hero.
---------------------------------------------
From Contributor (49039178)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lieutenant Joseph E. Finneran, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 9, 2019.
In the summer of 1943, 1Lt Finneran was a bombardier assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), known as the Pyramidiers. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24D aircraft on which Finneran served crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation Tidal Wave, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. Of the Americans killed, only 27 could be identified, not including Finneran.
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Bombardier 1st/Lt. Joseph E. Finneran DFC MIA/KIA
Hometown: Jamaica Plain, Miss.
Squadron: 345th BS 98th Bomb Group
Service# O-661605
Awards: Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters
Pilot 1st/Lt. John J. Dore Jr. SS DFC MIA/KIA
Target; Low level mission to destroy Rumanian Oil Fields August 1 1943. Ploesti.
Missing Air Crew Report Details
USAAF MACR#:
Date Lost: 1-Aug-43
Serial Number: 42-40102
Aircraft Model B-24D
Aircraft Letter: T
Aircraft Name: OLD BALDY
Location: Lost near the target, Ploesti
Cause: AA hit point blank at 30 feet or less from a Rumanian 80 mm. Crew 10 10KIA
Lt.Finneran lost his life in action while on duty with the 98th Bomb Group for "Operation Tidal Wave " one of the most daring raids of WW2. Coming in at tree top level the crew of OLD BALDY destroy Rumanian oil refineries. Lt. Finneran was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for valor on this mission.
Lt.Finneran appears Tablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery Florence, Italy his remains were never recovered or identified.
Crew of OLD BALDY
1st/Lt. John J. Dore Jr. Pilot
2nd/Lt. John B. Stallings Co Pilot
1st/Lt. Worthington A Franks Navigator
1st/Lt. Joseph E. Finneran Bombardier
T/Sgt. Frank Ardith Norris Engineer
T/Sgt. Frank Ardith Norris Engineer
T/Sgt. Max W. Lower Engineer
T/Sgt. Max W. Lower Engineer
S/Sgt. Joseph Rocco Iosco Gunner
S/Sgt. Ray L. Gleason Gunner
S/Sgt. Wesley L. Jones Gunner
S/Sgt. Stanley L. Packer Gunner
Inscription
1 LT 345 BOMB SQ 98 BOMB GP(H) MASS
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Massachusetts.
Family Members
Other Records
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