He graduated from Catasauqua High School in May 1937. His photo in the school's 1937 Brown and White yearbook is accompanied by this entry:
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GEORGE FERENCHAK
George is a small but ambitious fellow… He has the most nicknames of any one in the school. His one ambition in life is to become an aviator, and here's wishing him luck so that he will reach his highest hopes.
Honors: Senior Chamber of Commerce 4; Intra-Mural Sports 4; Practical Arts 1: Radio Play 3; Assembly Program 1, 2, 4; Track 4.
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He registered for the draft at Wilmington, Delaware on October 16, 1940. He was 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighed 140 pounds, and had brown eyes and brown hair. At that time he was employed by Bellanca Aircraft Company in New Castle, Delaware. He was a skilled mechanic and repairman and was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Wilmington, Delaware on March 12, 1942. His home of record was 225 Front Street, Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, his father's address in 1944.
He wanted to be a pilot. He entered Army Air Forces Aviation Cadet training, and completed the Classification and Preflight phases at San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center in Texas. He then entered the Primary phase of pilot training. There are photos of him during Preflight training at Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texas; and photos during Primary training in the Fairchild PT-19 aircraft. He washed out of pilot training sometime after beginning the Primary phase, and went on to complete Army Air Forces radio operator and aerial gunnery training. He was assigned as radio operator on the heavy bomber crew of Lt William J. Waldron.
The Waldron crew completed B-17 operational training at Ardmore, Oklahoma, and was assigned to the 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived in England by October 19, 1944, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is Lt Waldron's crew roster on December 24, 1944:
B-17G 43-38926 – 836th Bomb Squadron
• Waldron, William J – 2/Lt – Pilot – Safe
• Eshleman, Oscar F – 2/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Shuster, Joseph S – F/O – Navigator – KIA
• Neu, Russell C – 2/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Andrew, Benedict A – S/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Ferenchak, George J – S/Sgt – Radio operator – KIA
• Baganz, Reuben F – S/Sgt – Ball turret gunner – KIA
• Isley, Eugene S – S/Sgt – Waist gunner – Safe
• Naughton, James P – S/Sgt – 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 that day. Lt Waldron's crew flew B-17G 43-38926 in the number nine position in the Low Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group formation. The Group's target was the airfield at Babenhausen, Germany, but the formation was attacked by German fighters before reaching the target. S/Sgt Ferenchak and five of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. Three men were blown clear and survived when the aircraft exploded in the air. The B-17 crashed near Rouvreux, Belgium, about 15 miles south of Liege.
S/Sgt Ferenchak is buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium.
He is memorialized on the Catasauqua Veterans Memorial in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1930 US Census; Pennsylvania; Lehigh County; Catasauqua. Ferenseak, John [sic]. 2 Apr 1930 (John Ferenchak, his father)
3. 1940 US Census; Pennsylvania; Lehigh County; Catasauqua Borough; Catasauqua; Ward 1; 225 Front Street. Ferenchak, John. 16 Apr 1940 (his father)
4. American Battle Monuments Commission
5. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
6. Enlistment Record of George J. Ferenchak
7. Pennsylvania, County Marriages, 1885–1950: John Ferenczak [sic] married Annie Hamilla at Catasauqua, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania on 1 Feb 1916.
8. Pennsylvania Obituaries: Obituary of Agnes C. (Ferenchak) Vasievich, published in The Morning Call, Allentown, Lehigh County, PA on 31 Mar 2003 (his sister)
9. Slovakia, Church and Synagogue Books, 1592–1910: Joannes Ferencsak was baptized at Stotince, Kezmarok, Slovakia on 1 Nov 1892; his parents: Andreas Ferencsak and Maria Zemcsak (John Ferencsak, his father)
10. Social Security Death Index
11. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 11675
12. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
13. U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900–1999 (ancestry.com): Catasauqua High School. Brown and White [yearbook]. Catasauqua, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, May 1937 (photo of George Ferenchak on page 13)
14. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
15. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
16. Vasievich, Mike. Personal communication: Ferenchak family history and photos of George J. Ferenchak. Jan–Feb 2015 (his nephew)
17. Waymarking. Catasauqua (PA) Veterans Memorial
18. World War I Draft Registration of John Ferencsak [sic]. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
19. World War II Draft Registration of John Ferenchak. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
He graduated from Catasauqua High School in May 1937. His photo in the school's 1937 Brown and White yearbook is accompanied by this entry:
------------
GEORGE FERENCHAK
George is a small but ambitious fellow… He has the most nicknames of any one in the school. His one ambition in life is to become an aviator, and here's wishing him luck so that he will reach his highest hopes.
Honors: Senior Chamber of Commerce 4; Intra-Mural Sports 4; Practical Arts 1: Radio Play 3; Assembly Program 1, 2, 4; Track 4.
------------
He registered for the draft at Wilmington, Delaware on October 16, 1940. He was 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighed 140 pounds, and had brown eyes and brown hair. At that time he was employed by Bellanca Aircraft Company in New Castle, Delaware. He was a skilled mechanic and repairman and was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Wilmington, Delaware on March 12, 1942. His home of record was 225 Front Street, Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, his father's address in 1944.
He wanted to be a pilot. He entered Army Air Forces Aviation Cadet training, and completed the Classification and Preflight phases at San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center in Texas. He then entered the Primary phase of pilot training. There are photos of him during Preflight training at Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texas; and photos during Primary training in the Fairchild PT-19 aircraft. He washed out of pilot training sometime after beginning the Primary phase, and went on to complete Army Air Forces radio operator and aerial gunnery training. He was assigned as radio operator on the heavy bomber crew of Lt William J. Waldron.
The Waldron crew completed B-17 operational training at Ardmore, Oklahoma, and was assigned to the 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived in England by October 19, 1944, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is Lt Waldron's crew roster on December 24, 1944:
B-17G 43-38926 – 836th Bomb Squadron
• Waldron, William J – 2/Lt – Pilot – Safe
• Eshleman, Oscar F – 2/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Shuster, Joseph S – F/O – Navigator – KIA
• Neu, Russell C – 2/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Andrew, Benedict A – S/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Ferenchak, George J – S/Sgt – Radio operator – KIA
• Baganz, Reuben F – S/Sgt – Ball turret gunner – KIA
• Isley, Eugene S – S/Sgt – Waist gunner – Safe
• Naughton, James P – S/Sgt – 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 that day. Lt Waldron's crew flew B-17G 43-38926 in the number nine position in the Low Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group formation. The Group's target was the airfield at Babenhausen, Germany, but the formation was attacked by German fighters before reaching the target. S/Sgt Ferenchak and five of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. Three men were blown clear and survived when the aircraft exploded in the air. The B-17 crashed near Rouvreux, Belgium, about 15 miles south of Liege.
S/Sgt Ferenchak is buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium.
He is memorialized on the Catasauqua Veterans Memorial in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1930 US Census; Pennsylvania; Lehigh County; Catasauqua. Ferenseak, John [sic]. 2 Apr 1930 (John Ferenchak, his father)
3. 1940 US Census; Pennsylvania; Lehigh County; Catasauqua Borough; Catasauqua; Ward 1; 225 Front Street. Ferenchak, John. 16 Apr 1940 (his father)
4. American Battle Monuments Commission
5. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
6. Enlistment Record of George J. Ferenchak
7. Pennsylvania, County Marriages, 1885–1950: John Ferenczak [sic] married Annie Hamilla at Catasauqua, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania on 1 Feb 1916.
8. Pennsylvania Obituaries: Obituary of Agnes C. (Ferenchak) Vasievich, published in The Morning Call, Allentown, Lehigh County, PA on 31 Mar 2003 (his sister)
9. Slovakia, Church and Synagogue Books, 1592–1910: Joannes Ferencsak was baptized at Stotince, Kezmarok, Slovakia on 1 Nov 1892; his parents: Andreas Ferencsak and Maria Zemcsak (John Ferencsak, his father)
10. Social Security Death Index
11. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 11675
12. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
13. U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900–1999 (ancestry.com): Catasauqua High School. Brown and White [yearbook]. Catasauqua, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, May 1937 (photo of George Ferenchak on page 13)
14. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
15. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
16. Vasievich, Mike. Personal communication: Ferenchak family history and photos of George J. Ferenchak. Jan–Feb 2015 (his nephew)
17. Waymarking. Catasauqua (PA) Veterans Memorial
18. World War I Draft Registration of John Ferencsak [sic]. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
19. World War II Draft Registration of John Ferenchak. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Inscription
GEORGE J. FERENCHAK
S SGT 836 BOMB SQ 487 BOMB GP (H)
PENNSYLVANIA DEC 24 1944
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Pennsylvania.
Family Members
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