Technical Sergeant Joseph William Henahan, Army serial number 33236396, was born at Ashley, near Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania on November 8, 1915, and later resided at Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. His parents were John Leo Henahan (19 Jan 1889 – 8 Jul 1975), who was born at Ashley, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania; and Margaret V. (Carr) Henahan (13 Sep 1891 – 6 Mar 1972), who was born at Sugar Notch, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. His parents married at Sugar Notch, Pennsylvania on June 25, 1913, and lived initially at New Brunswick, New Jersey.
He had three siblings: Marion (Henahan) Redington (31 Mar 1914 – Dec 1990); John Henry 'Jack' Henahan (5 Jan 1919 – 23 May 1987); and Eleanor F. (Henahan) McGilloway (23 Aug 1925 – Dec 1993). In 1920 the family lived at Dorranceton (now part of Kingston) in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, and his father was a machinist at an automobile factory. By 1930 the family lived on King Street in Northumberland, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, and his father was a foreman at Keystone Forging Company in Northumberland. His family attended St. Michael's Catholic Church in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.
He graduated from Northumberland High School in 1933, and registered for the draft at Northumberland on October 16, 1940. He was 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighed 130 pounds, and had gray eyes and brown hair. At that time he lived with his parents and was a clerk at Pennsylvania Department of Public Assistance in Shamokin, Pennsylvania. He worked at the Middletown, Pennsylvania Air Depot before entering the service. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania on July 20, 1942, and was called to active duty in August 1942.
He trained at Saint Petersburg, Florida; Gulfport, Mississippi; Burbank, California; and Kingman, Arizona. He was then sent to Camp Kearns near Salt Lake City, Utah, where he was assigned as flight engineer and aerial gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt David L. Ozbolt. The Ozbolt crew was initially assigned to the Webb Provisional Group at Gowen Field, Idaho; and was then attached to the 538th Bomb Squadron of the 382nd Bomb Group at Pocatello Army Air Base, Idaho. In November 1943 the Ozbolt crew was assigned to the 839th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group at Bruning Army Air Base, Nebraska. In December 1943 the 487th Bomb Group moved to Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico to complete B-24 crew training. The Ozbolt crew deployed with the 487th Bomb Group to England in March 1944. They flew B-24H 42-52588 from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Lavenham, England via the southern Atlantic ferry route—a journey of about 10,000 miles—and arrived at Lavenham by mid-April 1944. The 487th Bomb Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.
On July 20, 1944 the Ozbolt crew flew B-24H 42-51197 on a practice bombing mission near its base. T/Sgt Henahan was not with the crew on this day when they collided with another aircraft, B-17G 43-37840, that was also on a training mission. Five men aboard the B-24, including pilot Lt Ozbolt, were killed when it crashed near Cavendish, England.
T/Sgt Henahan was reassigned as flight engineer on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Joseph A. Duncan in the 839th Bomb Squadron. Here is Lt Duncan's crew roster on August 25, 1944:
B-17G 43-37980 – 839th Bomb Squadron
• Duncan, Joseph A – 1/Lt – Pilot – POW
• Rogers, Winston S – Capt – Air Leader – KIA
• Jones, Richard L – Capt – Pilotage Navigator – KIA
• Friedman, Ely N – 2/Lt – Navigator – KIA
• Dolan, James J – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• Henahan, Joseph W – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Brown, Gerard F – T/Sgt – Radio operator – KIA
• Everett, Lloyd E – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Brown, Rhodes L – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Wolyn, Monroe S – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
• Hood Jr, James – 2/Lt – Tail Gunner – MIA
On August 25, 1944 the Duncan crew took off from Lavenham Airfield in B-17G 43-37980, the deputy lead aircraft of the Lead Squadron, on a mission to bomb the German airfield at Rechlin, Germany. Captain Winston S. Rogers flew in the copilot position as Air Leader. Copilot Lt James Hood Jr moved to the tail gunner position as Officer Tail Gunner and formation observer. T/Sgt Henahan and eight of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was hit by flak just after bombs away over Rechlin, Germany. The right outer wing was lost, and the burning aircraft went into a spin, exploded, and crashed in Muritz Lake (Müritzsee) near Boek, Germany, north of the target. Two crew members, 1/Lt Joseph Anderson Duncan and S/Sgt Monroe Stanley Wolyn, were blown clear and survived. Lt Hood's body was never found. He probably went to the bottom of Muritz Lake with the aircraft wreckage.
The body of T/Sgt Henahan was recovered on the shore of Muritz Lake near Boek on September 20, 1944. His remains and those of seven of his crewmates were buried initially at the Retzow Cemetery in Retzow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, a short distance north of Rechlin Airfield. Lt Hood's body was never found, and his remains were deemed nonrecoverable in August 1949.
T/Sgt Henahan's remains were disinterred from Retzow Cemetery on 17 July 1947, moved to the U.S. Military Cemetery at Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium, and reinterred there in Plot AA, Row 11, Grave 251. His remains were returned to the United States and arrived at the Lehigh Valley station in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on Friday, July 8, 1949. The casket was removed to the home of his aunt, Miss Florence Carr, at 1242 South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre. A funeral mass was held at Saint Aloysius Church on Saturday, July 9, 1949. His remains were then interred at Saint Mary's Cemetery in Wilkes-Barre. He is buried next to his parents in Section A, Lot 314, the Henahan family plot. The military escort was Master Sergeant Henry W. Moss, U.S. Air Force, ASN 6379790. Arrangements were handled by M. J. McLaughlin Funeral Home of 142 South Washington Street, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Burial honors were provided by American Legion Post 609 of Hanover Township, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Note: Also buried in the Henahan family plot at Saint Mary's Cemetery are a cousin, Regina M. 'Jean' Henahan (4 Nov 1927 – 10 Jul 2008), and her husband, Edward L. Henahan (6 Nov 1922 – 2 Sep 2006). Regina Henahan was the daughter of Henry Flynn (abt 1889 – unk) and Mary (Carr) Flynn (May 1889 – unk), his mother's sister.
Sources:
1. 49 Squadron Association. Retzow Cemetery in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
2. 487th Bomb Group Association
3. 487th Bomb Group Formation Diagram for 25 Aug 1944.
4. 1900 US Census; Pennsylvania; Luzerne County; Ashley Borough; Hartford Street. Hemahan, John [sic]. 2 Jun 1900 (John P. Henahan, his father's father)
5. 1910 US Census; Pennsylvania; Luzerne County; Hanover Township. 719 Hazle Ave. Henahan, John. 20 Apr 1910 (John P. Henahan, his father's father)
6. 1920 US Census; Pennsylvania; Luzerne County; Dorranceton Borough; Ward 1; 54 Sharpe Street. Henahan, John. 16 January 1920 (John L. Henahan, his father)
7. 1930 US Census; Pennsylvania; Northumberland County; Ward 3; 415 King Street. Henahan, John. 3 April 1930 (his father)
8. 1940 US Census; Pennsylvania; Northumberland County; Ward 3; 463 King Street. Henahan, John. April 1940 (his father)
9. Cemetery records of Saint Mary's Cemetery, 1594 South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18706
10. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Application for World War II Compensation. 21 Jan 1950 (submitted by his parents)
11. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
12. Enlistment record of Joseph W. Henahan
13. Find A Grave page for Regina M. 'Jean' Henahan (4 Nov 1927 – 10 Jul 2008) (his cousin)
14. HQ, 359th Combat Crew Training School, Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico. Special Orders Number 71. 11 March 1944 (487th Bomb Group flight echelon order to proceed from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Herington, Kansas during the deployment to England.)
15. HQ, Bruning Army Air Base, Nebraska. Special Orders Number 26. 23 Nov 1943 (crew of David L. Ozbolt, Webb Provisional Group, released from attachment to 538th Bomb Squadron, 382nd Bomb Group (H) at Pocatello Army Air Base, Idaho; assigned to 487th Bomb Group (H) at Bruning Army Air Base, Nebraska effective 20 Nov 1943)
16. HQ, Bruning Army Air Base, Nebraska. Special Orders Number 256. 12 Dec 1943 (transfer of the 487th Bomb Group from Bruning Army Air Base, Nebraska to Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico)
17. Luzerne County PA Courthouse Records. HENAHAN-CARR Marriage 1913 (his parents)
18. Obituary of John H. Henahan, his brother, in The Morning Call, Allentown PA, 24 May 1987
19. Obituary of Joseph W. Henahan in The Daily Item, Sunbury PA, 8 Dec 1944
20. Obituary of Joseph W. Henahan. July 1949
21. Records of McLaughlin Funeral Home, 142 South Washington Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
22. Social Security Death Index
23. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 8470
24. U.S. Department of the Army, Adjutant General Office, Technical Records Section. Individual Deceased Personnel File of Joseph W. Henahan, 33236396 (aka 293 File)
25. U.S. Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925–1949 (ancestry.com)
26. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
27. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
28. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
Research by:
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Last edited 3 Mar 2024
Technical Sergeant Joseph William Henahan, Army serial number 33236396, was born at Ashley, near Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania on November 8, 1915, and later resided at Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. His parents were John Leo Henahan (19 Jan 1889 – 8 Jul 1975), who was born at Ashley, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania; and Margaret V. (Carr) Henahan (13 Sep 1891 – 6 Mar 1972), who was born at Sugar Notch, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. His parents married at Sugar Notch, Pennsylvania on June 25, 1913, and lived initially at New Brunswick, New Jersey.
He had three siblings: Marion (Henahan) Redington (31 Mar 1914 – Dec 1990); John Henry 'Jack' Henahan (5 Jan 1919 – 23 May 1987); and Eleanor F. (Henahan) McGilloway (23 Aug 1925 – Dec 1993). In 1920 the family lived at Dorranceton (now part of Kingston) in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, and his father was a machinist at an automobile factory. By 1930 the family lived on King Street in Northumberland, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, and his father was a foreman at Keystone Forging Company in Northumberland. His family attended St. Michael's Catholic Church in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.
He graduated from Northumberland High School in 1933, and registered for the draft at Northumberland on October 16, 1940. He was 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighed 130 pounds, and had gray eyes and brown hair. At that time he lived with his parents and was a clerk at Pennsylvania Department of Public Assistance in Shamokin, Pennsylvania. He worked at the Middletown, Pennsylvania Air Depot before entering the service. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania on July 20, 1942, and was called to active duty in August 1942.
He trained at Saint Petersburg, Florida; Gulfport, Mississippi; Burbank, California; and Kingman, Arizona. He was then sent to Camp Kearns near Salt Lake City, Utah, where he was assigned as flight engineer and aerial gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt David L. Ozbolt. The Ozbolt crew was initially assigned to the Webb Provisional Group at Gowen Field, Idaho; and was then attached to the 538th Bomb Squadron of the 382nd Bomb Group at Pocatello Army Air Base, Idaho. In November 1943 the Ozbolt crew was assigned to the 839th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group at Bruning Army Air Base, Nebraska. In December 1943 the 487th Bomb Group moved to Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico to complete B-24 crew training. The Ozbolt crew deployed with the 487th Bomb Group to England in March 1944. They flew B-24H 42-52588 from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Lavenham, England via the southern Atlantic ferry route—a journey of about 10,000 miles—and arrived at Lavenham by mid-April 1944. The 487th Bomb Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.
On July 20, 1944 the Ozbolt crew flew B-24H 42-51197 on a practice bombing mission near its base. T/Sgt Henahan was not with the crew on this day when they collided with another aircraft, B-17G 43-37840, that was also on a training mission. Five men aboard the B-24, including pilot Lt Ozbolt, were killed when it crashed near Cavendish, England.
T/Sgt Henahan was reassigned as flight engineer on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Joseph A. Duncan in the 839th Bomb Squadron. Here is Lt Duncan's crew roster on August 25, 1944:
B-17G 43-37980 – 839th Bomb Squadron
• Duncan, Joseph A – 1/Lt – Pilot – POW
• Rogers, Winston S – Capt – Air Leader – KIA
• Jones, Richard L – Capt – Pilotage Navigator – KIA
• Friedman, Ely N – 2/Lt – Navigator – KIA
• Dolan, James J – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• Henahan, Joseph W – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Brown, Gerard F – T/Sgt – Radio operator – KIA
• Everett, Lloyd E – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Brown, Rhodes L – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Wolyn, Monroe S – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
• Hood Jr, James – 2/Lt – Tail Gunner – MIA
On August 25, 1944 the Duncan crew took off from Lavenham Airfield in B-17G 43-37980, the deputy lead aircraft of the Lead Squadron, on a mission to bomb the German airfield at Rechlin, Germany. Captain Winston S. Rogers flew in the copilot position as Air Leader. Copilot Lt James Hood Jr moved to the tail gunner position as Officer Tail Gunner and formation observer. T/Sgt Henahan and eight of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was hit by flak just after bombs away over Rechlin, Germany. The right outer wing was lost, and the burning aircraft went into a spin, exploded, and crashed in Muritz Lake (Müritzsee) near Boek, Germany, north of the target. Two crew members, 1/Lt Joseph Anderson Duncan and S/Sgt Monroe Stanley Wolyn, were blown clear and survived. Lt Hood's body was never found. He probably went to the bottom of Muritz Lake with the aircraft wreckage.
The body of T/Sgt Henahan was recovered on the shore of Muritz Lake near Boek on September 20, 1944. His remains and those of seven of his crewmates were buried initially at the Retzow Cemetery in Retzow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, a short distance north of Rechlin Airfield. Lt Hood's body was never found, and his remains were deemed nonrecoverable in August 1949.
T/Sgt Henahan's remains were disinterred from Retzow Cemetery on 17 July 1947, moved to the U.S. Military Cemetery at Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium, and reinterred there in Plot AA, Row 11, Grave 251. His remains were returned to the United States and arrived at the Lehigh Valley station in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on Friday, July 8, 1949. The casket was removed to the home of his aunt, Miss Florence Carr, at 1242 South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre. A funeral mass was held at Saint Aloysius Church on Saturday, July 9, 1949. His remains were then interred at Saint Mary's Cemetery in Wilkes-Barre. He is buried next to his parents in Section A, Lot 314, the Henahan family plot. The military escort was Master Sergeant Henry W. Moss, U.S. Air Force, ASN 6379790. Arrangements were handled by M. J. McLaughlin Funeral Home of 142 South Washington Street, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Burial honors were provided by American Legion Post 609 of Hanover Township, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Note: Also buried in the Henahan family plot at Saint Mary's Cemetery are a cousin, Regina M. 'Jean' Henahan (4 Nov 1927 – 10 Jul 2008), and her husband, Edward L. Henahan (6 Nov 1922 – 2 Sep 2006). Regina Henahan was the daughter of Henry Flynn (abt 1889 – unk) and Mary (Carr) Flynn (May 1889 – unk), his mother's sister.
Sources:
1. 49 Squadron Association. Retzow Cemetery in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
2. 487th Bomb Group Association
3. 487th Bomb Group Formation Diagram for 25 Aug 1944.
4. 1900 US Census; Pennsylvania; Luzerne County; Ashley Borough; Hartford Street. Hemahan, John [sic]. 2 Jun 1900 (John P. Henahan, his father's father)
5. 1910 US Census; Pennsylvania; Luzerne County; Hanover Township. 719 Hazle Ave. Henahan, John. 20 Apr 1910 (John P. Henahan, his father's father)
6. 1920 US Census; Pennsylvania; Luzerne County; Dorranceton Borough; Ward 1; 54 Sharpe Street. Henahan, John. 16 January 1920 (John L. Henahan, his father)
7. 1930 US Census; Pennsylvania; Northumberland County; Ward 3; 415 King Street. Henahan, John. 3 April 1930 (his father)
8. 1940 US Census; Pennsylvania; Northumberland County; Ward 3; 463 King Street. Henahan, John. April 1940 (his father)
9. Cemetery records of Saint Mary's Cemetery, 1594 South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18706
10. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Application for World War II Compensation. 21 Jan 1950 (submitted by his parents)
11. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
12. Enlistment record of Joseph W. Henahan
13. Find A Grave page for Regina M. 'Jean' Henahan (4 Nov 1927 – 10 Jul 2008) (his cousin)
14. HQ, 359th Combat Crew Training School, Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico. Special Orders Number 71. 11 March 1944 (487th Bomb Group flight echelon order to proceed from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Herington, Kansas during the deployment to England.)
15. HQ, Bruning Army Air Base, Nebraska. Special Orders Number 26. 23 Nov 1943 (crew of David L. Ozbolt, Webb Provisional Group, released from attachment to 538th Bomb Squadron, 382nd Bomb Group (H) at Pocatello Army Air Base, Idaho; assigned to 487th Bomb Group (H) at Bruning Army Air Base, Nebraska effective 20 Nov 1943)
16. HQ, Bruning Army Air Base, Nebraska. Special Orders Number 256. 12 Dec 1943 (transfer of the 487th Bomb Group from Bruning Army Air Base, Nebraska to Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico)
17. Luzerne County PA Courthouse Records. HENAHAN-CARR Marriage 1913 (his parents)
18. Obituary of John H. Henahan, his brother, in The Morning Call, Allentown PA, 24 May 1987
19. Obituary of Joseph W. Henahan in The Daily Item, Sunbury PA, 8 Dec 1944
20. Obituary of Joseph W. Henahan. July 1949
21. Records of McLaughlin Funeral Home, 142 South Washington Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
22. Social Security Death Index
23. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 8470
24. U.S. Department of the Army, Adjutant General Office, Technical Records Section. Individual Deceased Personnel File of Joseph W. Henahan, 33236396 (aka 293 File)
25. U.S. Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925–1949 (ancestry.com)
26. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
27. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
28. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
Research by:
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Last edited 3 Mar 2024
Inscription
JOSEPH W HENAHAN
PENNSYLVANIA
TECH SGT 839 AAF BOMB SQ
WORLD WAR II
NOV 8 1915 AUG 25 1944
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