Thomas served as a Second Lieutenant & Navigator on B-17G "Zilch" #42-31113, 339th Bomber Squadron, 96th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Webster County, Kentucky prior to the war.
B-17G #42-31113 took off, with a crew of 10 & other B-17s, from Snetterton Heath RAAF Base, England for a bombing mission over Bremen, Germany.
Over the North Sea the formation of B-17s, who were either coming back from or going to their target, were attacked by German fighter aircraft.
During this attack B-17G #42-31113 was hit and one of their engines was shot off. The engine fell into B-17F #42-30872 which was below them in the formation. They then collided into B-17F #42-30872 as they both fell from the sky into the North Sea. The entire crews of both B-17's were lost.
Thomas was declared "Missing In Action" in this attack during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # O-801114
Thomas also has a "cenotaph" in the Oak Grove Cemetery, Dixon, Kentucky.
" Click Here " for that record.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-17G #42-31113:
Blackwell, Thomas B ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, KY
Branam, Leonard M ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, IL
Creutzmann, Harry E ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, NY
Gauss, Floyd W ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, NY
Mancina, John ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, UT
Mott, Harold R ~ Capt, Pilot, CO
Nichols, Andrew R ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, CO
Santillan, Paul J ~ S/Sgt, Ball Turret Gunner, IA
Stewart, Angus D ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier, NC
Sturdevant, Warren M ~ S/Sgt, Tail Gunner, WI
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
For the crew of "B-17F #42-30872" see:
Kerrick, Lewis M ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, CA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Webster County, Kentucky prior to the war.
B-17G #42-31113 took off, with a crew of 10 & other B-17s, from Snetterton Heath RAAF Base, England for a bombing mission over Bremen, Germany.
Over the North Sea the formation of B-17s, who were either coming back from or going to their target, were attacked by German fighter aircraft.
During this attack B-17G #42-31113 was hit and one of their engines was shot off. The engine fell into B-17F #42-30872 which was below them in the formation. They then collided into B-17F #42-30872 as they both fell from the sky into the North Sea. The entire crews of both B-17's were lost.
Thomas was declared "Missing In Action" in this attack during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # O-801114
Thomas also has a "cenotaph" in the Oak Grove Cemetery, Dixon, Kentucky.
" Click Here " for that record.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-17G #42-31113:
Blackwell, Thomas B ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, KY
Branam, Leonard M ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, IL
Creutzmann, Harry E ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, NY
Gauss, Floyd W ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, NY
Mancina, John ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, UT
Mott, Harold R ~ Capt, Pilot, CO
Nichols, Andrew R ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, CO
Santillan, Paul J ~ S/Sgt, Ball Turret Gunner, IA
Stewart, Angus D ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier, NC
Sturdevant, Warren M ~ S/Sgt, Tail Gunner, WI
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
For the crew of "B-17F #42-30872" see:
Kerrick, Lewis M ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, CA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thomas served as a Second Lieutenant & Navigator on B-17G "Zilch" #42-31113, 339th Bomber Squadron, 96th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Webster County, Kentucky prior to the war.
B-17G #42-31113 took off, with a crew of 10 & other B-17s, from Snetterton Heath RAAF Base, England for a bombing mission over Bremen, Germany.
Over the North Sea the formation of B-17s, who were either coming back from or going to their target, were attacked by German fighter aircraft.
During this attack B-17G #42-31113 was hit and one of their engines was shot off. The engine fell into B-17F #42-30872 which was below them in the formation. They then collided into B-17F #42-30872 as they both fell from the sky into the North Sea. The entire crews of both B-17's were lost.
Thomas was declared "Missing In Action" in this attack during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # O-801114
Thomas also has a "cenotaph" in the Oak Grove Cemetery, Dixon, Kentucky.
" Click Here " for that record.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-17G #42-31113:
Blackwell, Thomas B ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, KY
Branam, Leonard M ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, IL
Creutzmann, Harry E ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, NY
Gauss, Floyd W ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, NY
Mancina, John ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, UT
Mott, Harold R ~ Capt, Pilot, CO
Nichols, Andrew R ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, CO
Santillan, Paul J ~ S/Sgt, Ball Turret Gunner, IA
Stewart, Angus D ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier, NC
Sturdevant, Warren M ~ S/Sgt, Tail Gunner, WI
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
For the crew of "B-17F #42-30872" see:
Kerrick, Lewis M ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, CA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Webster County, Kentucky prior to the war.
B-17G #42-31113 took off, with a crew of 10 & other B-17s, from Snetterton Heath RAAF Base, England for a bombing mission over Bremen, Germany.
Over the North Sea the formation of B-17s, who were either coming back from or going to their target, were attacked by German fighter aircraft.
During this attack B-17G #42-31113 was hit and one of their engines was shot off. The engine fell into B-17F #42-30872 which was below them in the formation. They then collided into B-17F #42-30872 as they both fell from the sky into the North Sea. The entire crews of both B-17's were lost.
Thomas was declared "Missing In Action" in this attack during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # O-801114
Thomas also has a "cenotaph" in the Oak Grove Cemetery, Dixon, Kentucky.
" Click Here " for that record.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-17G #42-31113:
Blackwell, Thomas B ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, KY
Branam, Leonard M ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, IL
Creutzmann, Harry E ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, NY
Gauss, Floyd W ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, NY
Mancina, John ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, UT
Mott, Harold R ~ Capt, Pilot, CO
Nichols, Andrew R ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, CO
Santillan, Paul J ~ S/Sgt, Ball Turret Gunner, IA
Stewart, Angus D ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier, NC
Sturdevant, Warren M ~ S/Sgt, Tail Gunner, WI
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
For the crew of "B-17F #42-30872" see:
Kerrick, Lewis M ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, CA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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