Francis served as a Staff Sergeant & Radio Operator / Gunner on B-24J "Belle Of The East" #42-110187, 789th Bomber Squadron, 467th Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II.
He resided at 611 North Clayton Street, Wilmington, Delaware prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on January 18, 1943 in Camden, New Jersey. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a mason and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #42-110187 took off, with a crew of 9, from Station 145, Rackheath, England on a bombing mission over Oschersleben, Germany.
Over the target they were hit by ground anti-aircraft fire and eventually exploded and crashed near Oschersleben. There was only one survivor from the crew.
Francis was "Killed In Action" in this crash during the war.
He had served in the Air Corps for one year and six months at the time of his death and was awarded with the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart.
Service # 32487830
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #42-110187:
Davis, Harris P ~ S/Sgt, Tail Gunner, AL
Fisher, Robert C ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, NJ
Greble, William E ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, CA
Hudson, Donald H ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, IL
Kennedy, Joseph J ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, NY
Murphy, John J ~ S/Sgt, Ball Turret Gunner, RI
Robinson, James E ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier, TX
Van Veen, Francis P ~ S/Sgt, Radio Operator, DE
The pilot, 2nd Lt. William H. Counts became a POW of the German Army and survived the war.
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided at 611 North Clayton Street, Wilmington, Delaware prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on January 18, 1943 in Camden, New Jersey. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a mason and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #42-110187 took off, with a crew of 9, from Station 145, Rackheath, England on a bombing mission over Oschersleben, Germany.
Over the target they were hit by ground anti-aircraft fire and eventually exploded and crashed near Oschersleben. There was only one survivor from the crew.
Francis was "Killed In Action" in this crash during the war.
He had served in the Air Corps for one year and six months at the time of his death and was awarded with the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart.
Service # 32487830
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #42-110187:
Davis, Harris P ~ S/Sgt, Tail Gunner, AL
Fisher, Robert C ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, NJ
Greble, William E ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, CA
Hudson, Donald H ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, IL
Kennedy, Joseph J ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, NY
Murphy, John J ~ S/Sgt, Ball Turret Gunner, RI
Robinson, James E ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier, TX
Van Veen, Francis P ~ S/Sgt, Radio Operator, DE
The pilot, 2nd Lt. William H. Counts became a POW of the German Army and survived the war.
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Francis served as a Staff Sergeant & Radio Operator / Gunner on B-24J "Belle Of The East" #42-110187, 789th Bomber Squadron, 467th Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II.
He resided at 611 North Clayton Street, Wilmington, Delaware prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on January 18, 1943 in Camden, New Jersey. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a mason and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #42-110187 took off, with a crew of 9, from Station 145, Rackheath, England on a bombing mission over Oschersleben, Germany.
Over the target they were hit by ground anti-aircraft fire and eventually exploded and crashed near Oschersleben. There was only one survivor from the crew.
Francis was "Killed In Action" in this crash during the war.
He had served in the Air Corps for one year and six months at the time of his death and was awarded with the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart.
Service # 32487830
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #42-110187:
Davis, Harris P ~ S/Sgt, Tail Gunner, AL
Fisher, Robert C ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, NJ
Greble, William E ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, CA
Hudson, Donald H ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, IL
Kennedy, Joseph J ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, NY
Murphy, John J ~ S/Sgt, Ball Turret Gunner, RI
Robinson, James E ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier, TX
Van Veen, Francis P ~ S/Sgt, Radio Operator, DE
The pilot, 2nd Lt. William H. Counts became a POW of the German Army and survived the war.
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided at 611 North Clayton Street, Wilmington, Delaware prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on January 18, 1943 in Camden, New Jersey. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a mason and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #42-110187 took off, with a crew of 9, from Station 145, Rackheath, England on a bombing mission over Oschersleben, Germany.
Over the target they were hit by ground anti-aircraft fire and eventually exploded and crashed near Oschersleben. There was only one survivor from the crew.
Francis was "Killed In Action" in this crash during the war.
He had served in the Air Corps for one year and six months at the time of his death and was awarded with the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart.
Service # 32487830
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #42-110187:
Davis, Harris P ~ S/Sgt, Tail Gunner, AL
Fisher, Robert C ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, NJ
Greble, William E ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, CA
Hudson, Donald H ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, IL
Kennedy, Joseph J ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, NY
Murphy, John J ~ S/Sgt, Ball Turret Gunner, RI
Robinson, James E ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier, TX
Van Veen, Francis P ~ S/Sgt, Radio Operator, DE
The pilot, 2nd Lt. William H. Counts became a POW of the German Army and survived the war.
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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