Son of Mrs. Mary Anthony who resided in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Joseph served as a Staff Sergeant & Gunner on B-24J #44-40549, 372nd Bomber Squadron, 307th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

He resided in Hudson County, New Jersey prior to the war.

He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on June 25, 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Actor and also as Single, without dependents.

B-24J #44-40549, along with 4 other B-24's, completed a successful bombing mission over Wakde Airfield, Wakde Island, Papua, Indonesia. On the return trip back to base they ran into a severe weather front which caused a lack of vision for all the B-24's.

B-24J #44-40549 is believed to have been involved in a mid-air collision, while in this front, with B-24J #44-40542 which caused both B-24's to crash into the sea during the war.

Joseph was declared "Missing In Action" in this crash.

He was awarded the Air Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.

Service # 12094065

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40549:

Anthony, Joseph J ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, NJ
Bambrick, John A ~ 1st Lt, Navigator, MA
Billings, Gerald G ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, ME
Buck, R T ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, TX
Davis, Walter W ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, VA
Foreman, Stanley R ~ 1st Lt, Bombardier, CA
Miller, Melvin B ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, TX
Rawley, James X ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, MI
Taylor, Walter J, Jr ~ T/Sgt, Gunner, MS
Vandoorne, Victor C ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, MA
Wolf, Charles J ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, OH

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For airmen who perished on
B-24J #44-40542 see:

Kienzle, Kenneth ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, WI

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

( Bio & Crew Reports by: Russ Pickett )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joe Anthony was a tail gunner in a B-24 Liberator long range bomber. He served in the "Jungle Air Force", US Army Air Corps, in the South Pacific. He was lost in a mid-air collision with another Liberator when his formation entered a cloud bank, returning from a successful raid on Japanese shipping off the coast of Palau on 25 August 1944. Joe had been a star high school and sandlot baseball player in Jersey City, NJ. Before the war, and was likely to be picked up by a major league team.

Son of Mrs. Mary Anthony who resided in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Joseph served as a Staff Sergeant & Gunner on B-24J #44-40549, 372nd Bomber Squadron, 307th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

He resided in Hudson County, New Jersey prior to the war.

He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on June 25, 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Actor and also as Single, without dependents.

B-24J #44-40549, along with 4 other B-24's, completed a successful bombing mission over Wakde Airfield, Wakde Island, Papua, Indonesia. On the return trip back to base they ran into a severe weather front which caused a lack of vision for all the B-24's.

B-24J #44-40549 is believed to have been involved in a mid-air collision, while in this front, with B-24J #44-40542 which caused both B-24's to crash into the sea during the war.

Joseph was declared "Missing In Action" in this crash.

He was awarded the Air Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.

Service # 12094065

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40549:

Anthony, Joseph J ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, NJ
Bambrick, John A ~ 1st Lt, Navigator, MA
Billings, Gerald G ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, ME
Buck, R T ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, TX
Davis, Walter W ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, VA
Foreman, Stanley R ~ 1st Lt, Bombardier, CA
Miller, Melvin B ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, TX
Rawley, James X ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, MI
Taylor, Walter J, Jr ~ T/Sgt, Gunner, MS
Vandoorne, Victor C ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, MA
Wolf, Charles J ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, OH

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For airmen who perished on
B-24J #44-40542 see:

Kienzle, Kenneth ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, WI

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

( Bio & Crew Reports by: Russ Pickett )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joe Anthony was a tail gunner in a B-24 Liberator long range bomber. He served in the "Jungle Air Force", US Army Air Corps, in the South Pacific. He was lost in a mid-air collision with another Liberator when his formation entered a cloud bank, returning from a successful raid on Japanese shipping off the coast of Palau on 25 August 1944. Joe had been a star high school and sandlot baseball player in Jersey City, NJ. Before the war, and was likely to be picked up by a major league team.