Staff Sergeant John J. Conery, Army serial number 32569452, was born at Newark, Essex County, New Jersey on September 23, 1921. On his draft registration, his name was initially recorded as John Joseph Conery; but the middle name is lined out, and he signed his name John J. Conery. He was the twelfth of thirteen children (nine girls and four boys) of George Joseph Conery (3 Feb 1878 – 20 Dec 1932), who was born in New York; and Alice E. (Athley) Conery (1879 – 28 Dec 1950), who was born in New Jersey. His parents married in 1905. His father worked at several jobs, including shipping clerk (1910), mason in a shipyard (1920), and patrolman for a railway express company (1929–1930). His father died when John was ten years old.
In 1940 the family lived at 11 Third Street, Newark, New Jersey. He completed three years of high school, and registered for the draft at Newark on February 14, 1942. He was 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighed 165 pounds, and had brown eyes and brown hair. At that time he lived at home and worked for the Breeze Corporation in Newark, a manufacturer of aircraft electrical systems, aircraft manifolds, and electric motors. He worked as an electrician and was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Newark, New Jersey on October 28, 1942.
He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training, and was assigned as waist gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Ira L. Ball, in the 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. His unit was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here Lt Ball's crew roster on December 24, 1944:
B-17G 43-37569 – 836th Bomb Squadron (839th Bomb Squadron aircraft)
• Ball, Ira L – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Tomea Jr, Gordon R – 1/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Sperber, Harold P – 1/Lt – Navigator – Safe
• Broom, John C – 1/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Parks, Warren H – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Lull, Robert H – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Gaudin Jr, Duffy J – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Conery, John J – S/Sgt – Waist gunner – KIA
• Becker, Cuno V – 1/Lt – Officer Tail Gunner – KIA
On December 24, 1944, the 8th Air Force launched mission #760, the largest aerial mission of the war, which involved more than 2000 heavy bombers. The mission was to bomb German airfields and supply lines, to stop the German offensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 487th Bomb Group led the entire 8th Air Force on this mission. Lt Ball's crew flew B-17G 43-37569 in the number five position of the 487th Bomb Group's Low Squadron. The 487th Bomb Group's target was the airfield at Babenhausen, Germany, but the formation was attacked by German fighters before reaching the target. S/Sgt Conery and six of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. The aircraft broke up and most of the wreckage fell in the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille, at about 50.4763°N, 5.6577°E. (Gouffre d'Aywaille is the gulf of the Ambleve River near Aywaille—a wider, deeper section of the river just west of Aywaille.) The tail section fell in a small stone quarry near the hamlet of Chambralles, just west of Septroux, Belgium. Two men survived.
S/Sgt Conery is buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium, in Plot H, Row 3, Grave 50. There is another photo of his grave posted on the 487th Bomb Group website.
A monument to the Ira L. Ball crew was dedicated at Aywaille, Belgium on December 19, 2015. The monument is located on the south bank of the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille. It is the result of efforts by 40-45 Memories Museum of Aywaille and its founder, Mr. Frédéric Winkin.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1910 US Census; New Jersey; Essex County; Newark; Ward 2. Conery, George J. 26 Apr 1910 (his father)
3. 1920 US Census; New Jersey; Essex County; East Orange. Conery, Geroge. 6 Jan 1920 (his father)
4. 1930 US Census; New Jersey; Essex County; Newark. Conery, George J. 5 Apr 1930 (his father)
5. 1940 US Census; New Jersey; Essex County; Newark; 11 3rd Street. Conery, Alice. 4 Apr 1940 (his mother)
6. American Battle Monuments Commission
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Enlistment Record of John J. Conery
9. Henry, René. Aywaille: Chronique illustrée du XXe siècle. pp 141–143 [Aywaille: Illustrated Chronicle of the 20th Century]. Liege, Belgium: Editions Dricot (contains information about the loss of B-17G 43-37569; available through Google Books; search for Noël 1944)
10. Karp, Shane S. Coming full circle: A chief uncovers great-uncle's WWII crash site, 70 years later. 8 Dec 2015 (story about Chief Master Sergeant James McCloskey, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, a great nephew of Lt Cuno Becker)
11. New Jersey Marriage Index: George Conery married Alice Athley in 1905.
12. Newark, New Jersey, City Directories. 1929–1942 (ancestry.com)
13. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 11559
14. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
15. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
16. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
17. Vlan (Belgian newspaper). 19 Nov 2015. (Article about a monument to the Ira L. Ball crew dedicated on 19 Dec 2015; provided by Monsieur Benoît Noël of Aywaille, Belgium)
18. World War I Draft Registration of George Joseph Conery. 12 Sep 1918 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
In 1940 the family lived at 11 Third Street, Newark, New Jersey. He completed three years of high school, and registered for the draft at Newark on February 14, 1942. He was 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighed 165 pounds, and had brown eyes and brown hair. At that time he lived at home and worked for the Breeze Corporation in Newark, a manufacturer of aircraft electrical systems, aircraft manifolds, and electric motors. He worked as an electrician and was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Newark, New Jersey on October 28, 1942.
He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training, and was assigned as waist gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Ira L. Ball, in the 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. His unit was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here Lt Ball's crew roster on December 24, 1944:
B-17G 43-37569 – 836th Bomb Squadron (839th Bomb Squadron aircraft)
• Ball, Ira L – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Tomea Jr, Gordon R – 1/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Sperber, Harold P – 1/Lt – Navigator – Safe
• Broom, John C – 1/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Parks, Warren H – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Lull, Robert H – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Gaudin Jr, Duffy J – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Conery, John J – S/Sgt – Waist gunner – KIA
• Becker, Cuno V – 1/Lt – Officer Tail Gunner – KIA
On December 24, 1944, the 8th Air Force launched mission #760, the largest aerial mission of the war, which involved more than 2000 heavy bombers. The mission was to bomb German airfields and supply lines, to stop the German offensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 487th Bomb Group led the entire 8th Air Force on this mission. Lt Ball's crew flew B-17G 43-37569 in the number five position of the 487th Bomb Group's Low Squadron. The 487th Bomb Group's target was the airfield at Babenhausen, Germany, but the formation was attacked by German fighters before reaching the target. S/Sgt Conery and six of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. The aircraft broke up and most of the wreckage fell in the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille, at about 50.4763°N, 5.6577°E. (Gouffre d'Aywaille is the gulf of the Ambleve River near Aywaille—a wider, deeper section of the river just west of Aywaille.) The tail section fell in a small stone quarry near the hamlet of Chambralles, just west of Septroux, Belgium. Two men survived.
S/Sgt Conery is buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium, in Plot H, Row 3, Grave 50. There is another photo of his grave posted on the 487th Bomb Group website.
A monument to the Ira L. Ball crew was dedicated at Aywaille, Belgium on December 19, 2015. The monument is located on the south bank of the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille. It is the result of efforts by 40-45 Memories Museum of Aywaille and its founder, Mr. Frédéric Winkin.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1910 US Census; New Jersey; Essex County; Newark; Ward 2. Conery, George J. 26 Apr 1910 (his father)
3. 1920 US Census; New Jersey; Essex County; East Orange. Conery, Geroge. 6 Jan 1920 (his father)
4. 1930 US Census; New Jersey; Essex County; Newark. Conery, George J. 5 Apr 1930 (his father)
5. 1940 US Census; New Jersey; Essex County; Newark; 11 3rd Street. Conery, Alice. 4 Apr 1940 (his mother)
6. American Battle Monuments Commission
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Enlistment Record of John J. Conery
9. Henry, René. Aywaille: Chronique illustrée du XXe siècle. pp 141–143 [Aywaille: Illustrated Chronicle of the 20th Century]. Liege, Belgium: Editions Dricot (contains information about the loss of B-17G 43-37569; available through Google Books; search for Noël 1944)
10. Karp, Shane S. Coming full circle: A chief uncovers great-uncle's WWII crash site, 70 years later. 8 Dec 2015 (story about Chief Master Sergeant James McCloskey, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, a great nephew of Lt Cuno Becker)
11. New Jersey Marriage Index: George Conery married Alice Athley in 1905.
12. Newark, New Jersey, City Directories. 1929–1942 (ancestry.com)
13. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 11559
14. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
15. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
16. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
17. Vlan (Belgian newspaper). 19 Nov 2015. (Article about a monument to the Ira L. Ball crew dedicated on 19 Dec 2015; provided by Monsieur Benoît Noël of Aywaille, Belgium)
18. World War I Draft Registration of George Joseph Conery. 12 Sep 1918 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Staff Sergeant John J. Conery, Army serial number 32569452, was born at Newark, Essex County, New Jersey on September 23, 1921. On his draft registration, his name was initially recorded as John Joseph Conery; but the middle name is lined out, and he signed his name John J. Conery. He was the twelfth of thirteen children (nine girls and four boys) of George Joseph Conery (3 Feb 1878 – 20 Dec 1932), who was born in New York; and Alice E. (Athley) Conery (1879 – 28 Dec 1950), who was born in New Jersey. His parents married in 1905. His father worked at several jobs, including shipping clerk (1910), mason in a shipyard (1920), and patrolman for a railway express company (1929–1930). His father died when John was ten years old.
In 1940 the family lived at 11 Third Street, Newark, New Jersey. He completed three years of high school, and registered for the draft at Newark on February 14, 1942. He was 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighed 165 pounds, and had brown eyes and brown hair. At that time he lived at home and worked for the Breeze Corporation in Newark, a manufacturer of aircraft electrical systems, aircraft manifolds, and electric motors. He worked as an electrician and was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Newark, New Jersey on October 28, 1942.
He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training, and was assigned as waist gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Ira L. Ball, in the 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. His unit was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here Lt Ball's crew roster on December 24, 1944:
B-17G 43-37569 – 836th Bomb Squadron (839th Bomb Squadron aircraft)
• Ball, Ira L – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Tomea Jr, Gordon R – 1/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Sperber, Harold P – 1/Lt – Navigator – Safe
• Broom, John C – 1/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Parks, Warren H – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Lull, Robert H – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Gaudin Jr, Duffy J – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Conery, John J – S/Sgt – Waist gunner – KIA
• Becker, Cuno V – 1/Lt – Officer Tail Gunner – KIA
On December 24, 1944, the 8th Air Force launched mission #760, the largest aerial mission of the war, which involved more than 2000 heavy bombers. The mission was to bomb German airfields and supply lines, to stop the German offensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 487th Bomb Group led the entire 8th Air Force on this mission. Lt Ball's crew flew B-17G 43-37569 in the number five position of the 487th Bomb Group's Low Squadron. The 487th Bomb Group's target was the airfield at Babenhausen, Germany, but the formation was attacked by German fighters before reaching the target. S/Sgt Conery and six of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. The aircraft broke up and most of the wreckage fell in the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille, at about 50.4763°N, 5.6577°E. (Gouffre d'Aywaille is the gulf of the Ambleve River near Aywaille—a wider, deeper section of the river just west of Aywaille.) The tail section fell in a small stone quarry near the hamlet of Chambralles, just west of Septroux, Belgium. Two men survived.
S/Sgt Conery is buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium, in Plot H, Row 3, Grave 50. There is another photo of his grave posted on the 487th Bomb Group website.
A monument to the Ira L. Ball crew was dedicated at Aywaille, Belgium on December 19, 2015. The monument is located on the south bank of the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille. It is the result of efforts by 40-45 Memories Museum of Aywaille and its founder, Mr. Frédéric Winkin.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1910 US Census; New Jersey; Essex County; Newark; Ward 2. Conery, George J. 26 Apr 1910 (his father)
3. 1920 US Census; New Jersey; Essex County; East Orange. Conery, Geroge. 6 Jan 1920 (his father)
4. 1930 US Census; New Jersey; Essex County; Newark. Conery, George J. 5 Apr 1930 (his father)
5. 1940 US Census; New Jersey; Essex County; Newark; 11 3rd Street. Conery, Alice. 4 Apr 1940 (his mother)
6. American Battle Monuments Commission
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Enlistment Record of John J. Conery
9. Henry, René. Aywaille: Chronique illustrée du XXe siècle. pp 141–143 [Aywaille: Illustrated Chronicle of the 20th Century]. Liege, Belgium: Editions Dricot (contains information about the loss of B-17G 43-37569; available through Google Books; search for Noël 1944)
10. Karp, Shane S. Coming full circle: A chief uncovers great-uncle's WWII crash site, 70 years later. 8 Dec 2015 (story about Chief Master Sergeant James McCloskey, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, a great nephew of Lt Cuno Becker)
11. New Jersey Marriage Index: George Conery married Alice Athley in 1905.
12. Newark, New Jersey, City Directories. 1929–1942 (ancestry.com)
13. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 11559
14. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
15. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
16. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
17. Vlan (Belgian newspaper). 19 Nov 2015. (Article about a monument to the Ira L. Ball crew dedicated on 19 Dec 2015; provided by Monsieur Benoît Noël of Aywaille, Belgium)
18. World War I Draft Registration of George Joseph Conery. 12 Sep 1918 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
In 1940 the family lived at 11 Third Street, Newark, New Jersey. He completed three years of high school, and registered for the draft at Newark on February 14, 1942. He was 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighed 165 pounds, and had brown eyes and brown hair. At that time he lived at home and worked for the Breeze Corporation in Newark, a manufacturer of aircraft electrical systems, aircraft manifolds, and electric motors. He worked as an electrician and was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Newark, New Jersey on October 28, 1942.
He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training, and was assigned as waist gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Ira L. Ball, in the 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. His unit was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here Lt Ball's crew roster on December 24, 1944:
B-17G 43-37569 – 836th Bomb Squadron (839th Bomb Squadron aircraft)
• Ball, Ira L – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Tomea Jr, Gordon R – 1/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Sperber, Harold P – 1/Lt – Navigator – Safe
• Broom, John C – 1/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Parks, Warren H – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Lull, Robert H – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Gaudin Jr, Duffy J – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Conery, John J – S/Sgt – Waist gunner – KIA
• Becker, Cuno V – 1/Lt – Officer Tail Gunner – KIA
On December 24, 1944, the 8th Air Force launched mission #760, the largest aerial mission of the war, which involved more than 2000 heavy bombers. The mission was to bomb German airfields and supply lines, to stop the German offensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 487th Bomb Group led the entire 8th Air Force on this mission. Lt Ball's crew flew B-17G 43-37569 in the number five position of the 487th Bomb Group's Low Squadron. The 487th Bomb Group's target was the airfield at Babenhausen, Germany, but the formation was attacked by German fighters before reaching the target. S/Sgt Conery and six of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. The aircraft broke up and most of the wreckage fell in the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille, at about 50.4763°N, 5.6577°E. (Gouffre d'Aywaille is the gulf of the Ambleve River near Aywaille—a wider, deeper section of the river just west of Aywaille.) The tail section fell in a small stone quarry near the hamlet of Chambralles, just west of Septroux, Belgium. Two men survived.
S/Sgt Conery is buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium, in Plot H, Row 3, Grave 50. There is another photo of his grave posted on the 487th Bomb Group website.
A monument to the Ira L. Ball crew was dedicated at Aywaille, Belgium on December 19, 2015. The monument is located on the south bank of the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille. It is the result of efforts by 40-45 Memories Museum of Aywaille and its founder, Mr. Frédéric Winkin.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1910 US Census; New Jersey; Essex County; Newark; Ward 2. Conery, George J. 26 Apr 1910 (his father)
3. 1920 US Census; New Jersey; Essex County; East Orange. Conery, Geroge. 6 Jan 1920 (his father)
4. 1930 US Census; New Jersey; Essex County; Newark. Conery, George J. 5 Apr 1930 (his father)
5. 1940 US Census; New Jersey; Essex County; Newark; 11 3rd Street. Conery, Alice. 4 Apr 1940 (his mother)
6. American Battle Monuments Commission
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Enlistment Record of John J. Conery
9. Henry, René. Aywaille: Chronique illustrée du XXe siècle. pp 141–143 [Aywaille: Illustrated Chronicle of the 20th Century]. Liege, Belgium: Editions Dricot (contains information about the loss of B-17G 43-37569; available through Google Books; search for Noël 1944)
10. Karp, Shane S. Coming full circle: A chief uncovers great-uncle's WWII crash site, 70 years later. 8 Dec 2015 (story about Chief Master Sergeant James McCloskey, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, a great nephew of Lt Cuno Becker)
11. New Jersey Marriage Index: George Conery married Alice Athley in 1905.
12. Newark, New Jersey, City Directories. 1929–1942 (ancestry.com)
13. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 11559
14. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
15. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
16. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
17. Vlan (Belgian newspaper). 19 Nov 2015. (Article about a monument to the Ira L. Ball crew dedicated on 19 Dec 2015; provided by Monsieur Benoît Noël of Aywaille, Belgium)
18. World War I Draft Registration of George Joseph Conery. 12 Sep 1918 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Inscription
JOHN J. CONERY
S SGT 836 BOMB SQ 487 BOMB GP (H)
NEW JERSEY DEC 24 1944
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from New Jersey.
Family Members
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