Gerald V. Biddle grew up at 805 Chalker Street in Akron, Ohio. He attended Findley and Harris Elementary Schools and St. Martha's Grade School. He graduated from North High School in June 1940.
He was a Sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Forces, Service # 15319034.
He was killed 11 July 1944 in a Non-Battle crash of a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber while ferrying the aircraft from his home base at Kearney, NE to an aerial Point of Embarkation near Bangor, ME for shipment overseas. This was the crews final move before being dispatched to the European Theater for action. Gerald was the waist gunner on the bomber. Last contact was at 1055 when its position was established between Albany, NY and Manchester, NH. After circling the area around Rangely Lake for approximately 1½ hours, the B-17 crashed into Deer Mountain 500 feet below the summit. Conclusions of the investigating board were that the pilot was definitely lost since they were off-course, possibly due to radio failure when they encountered a thundershower in the area, and "the pilot got confused to such an extent that he possibly became panicky." The plane was completely demolished by an explosion of "great violence, tearing it completely apart and scattering fragments over a wide area. All occupants had undoubtedly been killed instantly . . .". A bookkeeper at the Firestone Bank he had just married a girl that he met at a USO Club in Newark, NJ where he was stationed for 14 months. Buried at Holy Cross Cemetery Akron, OH.
He was twenty-three years old at the time of his death.
He was a Sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Forces, Service # 15319034.
He was killed 11 July 1944 in a Non-Battle crash of a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber while ferrying the aircraft from his home base at Kearney, NE to an aerial Point of Embarkation near Bangor, ME for shipment overseas. This was the crews final move before being dispatched to the European Theater for action. Gerald was the waist gunner on the bomber. Last contact was at 1055 when its position was established between Albany, NY and Manchester, NH. After circling the area around Rangely Lake for approximately 1½ hours, the B-17 crashed into Deer Mountain 500 feet below the summit. Conclusions of the investigating board were that the pilot was definitely lost since they were off-course, possibly due to radio failure when they encountered a thundershower in the area, and "the pilot got confused to such an extent that he possibly became panicky." The plane was completely demolished by an explosion of "great violence, tearing it completely apart and scattering fragments over a wide area. All occupants had undoubtedly been killed instantly . . .". A bookkeeper at the Firestone Bank he had just married a girl that he met at a USO Club in Newark, NJ where he was stationed for 14 months. Buried at Holy Cross Cemetery Akron, OH.
He was twenty-three years old at the time of his death.
Gerald V. Biddle grew up at 805 Chalker Street in Akron, Ohio. He attended Findley and Harris Elementary Schools and St. Martha's Grade School. He graduated from North High School in June 1940.
He was a Sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Forces, Service # 15319034.
He was killed 11 July 1944 in a Non-Battle crash of a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber while ferrying the aircraft from his home base at Kearney, NE to an aerial Point of Embarkation near Bangor, ME for shipment overseas. This was the crews final move before being dispatched to the European Theater for action. Gerald was the waist gunner on the bomber. Last contact was at 1055 when its position was established between Albany, NY and Manchester, NH. After circling the area around Rangely Lake for approximately 1½ hours, the B-17 crashed into Deer Mountain 500 feet below the summit. Conclusions of the investigating board were that the pilot was definitely lost since they were off-course, possibly due to radio failure when they encountered a thundershower in the area, and "the pilot got confused to such an extent that he possibly became panicky." The plane was completely demolished by an explosion of "great violence, tearing it completely apart and scattering fragments over a wide area. All occupants had undoubtedly been killed instantly . . .". A bookkeeper at the Firestone Bank he had just married a girl that he met at a USO Club in Newark, NJ where he was stationed for 14 months. Buried at Holy Cross Cemetery Akron, OH.
He was twenty-three years old at the time of his death.
He was a Sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Forces, Service # 15319034.
He was killed 11 July 1944 in a Non-Battle crash of a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber while ferrying the aircraft from his home base at Kearney, NE to an aerial Point of Embarkation near Bangor, ME for shipment overseas. This was the crews final move before being dispatched to the European Theater for action. Gerald was the waist gunner on the bomber. Last contact was at 1055 when its position was established between Albany, NY and Manchester, NH. After circling the area around Rangely Lake for approximately 1½ hours, the B-17 crashed into Deer Mountain 500 feet below the summit. Conclusions of the investigating board were that the pilot was definitely lost since they were off-course, possibly due to radio failure when they encountered a thundershower in the area, and "the pilot got confused to such an extent that he possibly became panicky." The plane was completely demolished by an explosion of "great violence, tearing it completely apart and scattering fragments over a wide area. All occupants had undoubtedly been killed instantly . . .". A bookkeeper at the Firestone Bank he had just married a girl that he met at a USO Club in Newark, NJ where he was stationed for 14 months. Buried at Holy Cross Cemetery Akron, OH.
He was twenty-three years old at the time of his death.
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