Nicholas served as a Sergeant & Gunner on B-24 #44-41808, 868th Bomber Squadron, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on February 18, 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
B-24 #44-41808 took off Palawan in the Phillipines across the South China Sea to hit shipping in the Mekong River in French IndoChina (later Vietnam). While bombing their target they suffered from "blowback" which damaged the Number 2 engine and after putting out the fire they decided they didn't have enough fuel remaining to return to base and decided to bailout while there was still light.
Despite having contact with a submarine they thought would pick them up, only three of the crew were ever recovered from the sea, five days or more later.
Nicholas was declared "Missing In Action" while on this mission during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart.
Service # 13170299
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24 #44-41808:
Carroll, Charles E ~ Sgt, Gunner, CT
Cunningham, Clatie R, Jr ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, TN
Hayes, Roy R ~ S/Sgt, Radio Operator, IL
Knigga, John W ~ S/Sgt, Radar Operator, KY
Leach, Clifton E ~ Sgt, Gunner, OK
McDermott, Donald C ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, CA
Meriage, Nicholas ~ Sgt, Gunner, PA
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who survived from B-24 #44-41808:
Low, Walter ~ Pilot
Reed, Stanley L ~ Navigator
Gingerich, Edward ~ Bombardier
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Special thanks to Bill Davis for submitting a complete description of this mission!
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on February 18, 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
B-24 #44-41808 took off Palawan in the Phillipines across the South China Sea to hit shipping in the Mekong River in French IndoChina (later Vietnam). While bombing their target they suffered from "blowback" which damaged the Number 2 engine and after putting out the fire they decided they didn't have enough fuel remaining to return to base and decided to bailout while there was still light.
Despite having contact with a submarine they thought would pick them up, only three of the crew were ever recovered from the sea, five days or more later.
Nicholas was declared "Missing In Action" while on this mission during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart.
Service # 13170299
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24 #44-41808:
Carroll, Charles E ~ Sgt, Gunner, CT
Cunningham, Clatie R, Jr ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, TN
Hayes, Roy R ~ S/Sgt, Radio Operator, IL
Knigga, John W ~ S/Sgt, Radar Operator, KY
Leach, Clifton E ~ Sgt, Gunner, OK
McDermott, Donald C ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, CA
Meriage, Nicholas ~ Sgt, Gunner, PA
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who survived from B-24 #44-41808:
Low, Walter ~ Pilot
Reed, Stanley L ~ Navigator
Gingerich, Edward ~ Bombardier
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Special thanks to Bill Davis for submitting a complete description of this mission!
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nicholas served as a Sergeant & Gunner on B-24 #44-41808, 868th Bomber Squadron, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on February 18, 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
B-24 #44-41808 took off Palawan in the Phillipines across the South China Sea to hit shipping in the Mekong River in French IndoChina (later Vietnam). While bombing their target they suffered from "blowback" which damaged the Number 2 engine and after putting out the fire they decided they didn't have enough fuel remaining to return to base and decided to bailout while there was still light.
Despite having contact with a submarine they thought would pick them up, only three of the crew were ever recovered from the sea, five days or more later.
Nicholas was declared "Missing In Action" while on this mission during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart.
Service # 13170299
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24 #44-41808:
Carroll, Charles E ~ Sgt, Gunner, CT
Cunningham, Clatie R, Jr ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, TN
Hayes, Roy R ~ S/Sgt, Radio Operator, IL
Knigga, John W ~ S/Sgt, Radar Operator, KY
Leach, Clifton E ~ Sgt, Gunner, OK
McDermott, Donald C ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, CA
Meriage, Nicholas ~ Sgt, Gunner, PA
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who survived from B-24 #44-41808:
Low, Walter ~ Pilot
Reed, Stanley L ~ Navigator
Gingerich, Edward ~ Bombardier
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Special thanks to Bill Davis for submitting a complete description of this mission!
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on February 18, 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
B-24 #44-41808 took off Palawan in the Phillipines across the South China Sea to hit shipping in the Mekong River in French IndoChina (later Vietnam). While bombing their target they suffered from "blowback" which damaged the Number 2 engine and after putting out the fire they decided they didn't have enough fuel remaining to return to base and decided to bailout while there was still light.
Despite having contact with a submarine they thought would pick them up, only three of the crew were ever recovered from the sea, five days or more later.
Nicholas was declared "Missing In Action" while on this mission during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart.
Service # 13170299
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24 #44-41808:
Carroll, Charles E ~ Sgt, Gunner, CT
Cunningham, Clatie R, Jr ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, TN
Hayes, Roy R ~ S/Sgt, Radio Operator, IL
Knigga, John W ~ S/Sgt, Radar Operator, KY
Leach, Clifton E ~ Sgt, Gunner, OK
McDermott, Donald C ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, CA
Meriage, Nicholas ~ Sgt, Gunner, PA
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who survived from B-24 #44-41808:
Low, Walter ~ Pilot
Reed, Stanley L ~ Navigator
Gingerich, Edward ~ Bombardier
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Special thanks to Bill Davis for submitting a complete description of this mission!
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
