Darryl J. GRADY

 

grady darryl
ARMY SERIAL NUMBER31220707
AGE22 yo
DATE OF BIRTH8 may 1922 Whitefield MAINE
STATEMAINE
FAMILYSingle
RANKStaff Sergeant
FONCTION Waist Gunner
JOB before ENLISTEMENT Unskilled occupations in manufacture of boots and shoesME
DATE of ENLISTEMENT3 february 1943 Portland MAINE
SQUADRON569th Bomber Squadron
GROUP390th Bomber Group
ARMY8th Air Corps
DATE OF DEATH8 may 1944grady darryl tombe
STATUSKIA
PLACE OF DEATHBreuville town - 10 km SSW Cherbourg
DATA PLAN

B-17 Fortress
type G-20-BO
s/n 42-31603 CC-N Carré-J
"Belle Of The Brawl"
MACR 4583

 
Take-off from station 153 Framlingham UK


Shot down by flak at 7: 16 pm to Breuville town(50)
grady Tail Letter 569th Bomber Squadron

CEMETERYNORMANDY AMERICAN CEMETERY from Colleville

Map Normandy American Cemetery

GRAVE
PlotRowGrave
F 15 17
DECORATION
 
Air Medal + 2 Oak Leaf Cluster
 
 
Air Medal + 2 Oak Leaf Cluster
 
  Photo Fdlm Photo Fdlm Photo Fdlm Photo Fdlm
STORY

Darryl was born in Whitefield in Maine in 1922, he grew up near Jefferson where he goes to school, his parents have a farm.

At the end of his secondary schooling he wants to move as engineer in aeronautics, but early 1943 it engages in Portland in the US Army. It shows gunner onboard and joined England in November 1943.

baraquement station 153
Baraquements
salle des cartes
Salle des Cartes
tour de controle
Tour de Controle
vol de b 17
Vol de B 17

He was stationed on the basis of Framlingham station 153 near Parham.

B 17
B 17 du 569th Bomber Squadron

Darryl will perform several missions within its number 33 this crew which earned him 21 missions to its counter on the eve of May 8, 1944; in this day of May 8 he volunteered to be a crew improvised among the present Airmen on the station 153. Among the tasks of the day, one is the basis of Hardinvast, this mission which is entrusted to the Group of B-17 which is part of Darryl.

The B-17 is part of training of 21 bombers of 13rd Combat Wing.

organigramme
Organigramme de la 8th Air Force

After reaching the cotentin at height of St-Germain-des-Vaux training divided into three squadrons (Lead, High and Low) approach its goal.

The B-17, Darryl is located in the squadron of head "Lead Squadron" composed of seven aircraft of the 390th BG, it is last.

plan de formation
Position dans le plan de formation de la mission

The sky is clear, very good visibility, but they will come up against their approach to a real shot of dam and explosions. The leader drops his bombs at 19:12. The German fire repeat and affect the B-17, Darryl...

The bomber still managed to drop its bombs but the worst arrives and bomber explodes mid-air above Breuville and disintegrates launching thousands of pieces at its fall. The bodies of the crew will be scattered in several nearby fields. The debris of the aircraft spread around the village. Two crew members will still get by, indeed after dropping his bombs, the payload bay doors are left open and two members (Paul Valhos and Joseph Morris) will come out those doors and jump their two parachutes will open, two Airmen will be caught by the Germans the same day for Joseph Morris and Paul Valhos overnight. Certainly as the rest of the crew attempted to perform the same output but it has not had the time. With respect to the balance of this mission the result is not all at the venue. The impacts are concentrated to more than a kilometre to the North West of the objective.

For Darryl it was his 22 nd mission the day of his 22nd birthday.


INFORMATION SOURCESFrancecrashes39-45.net - Aad.archives.gov/aad
PICTURE SOURCEBruno CADEVILLE - Frédéric LAVERNHE
PROGRAMMERFrédéric & Renaud
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