Thomas Gillon WALKER

 

WALKER Thomas G

Source : Eric Helman
NUMBER OF SERVICEO-797649 ()
AGE27 yo
DATE OF BIRTH 29 June 1916 Scalp Level, Cambria County, PENNSYLVANIA
ENLISTMENT STATEPENNSYLVANIA
FAMILY

 Parents : Alexander G. & Mary J. Johnston WALKER

RANKSecond Lieutenant
FONCTIONCoPilote
JOB BEFORE ENLISTEMENT  PA
DATE of ENLISTEMENT 11 March 1942
 SQUADRON578th Bomber Squadron
 GROUP392nd Bomber Group, Heavy
ARMY8th US Air Force
DATE OF DEATH31 December 1943

WALKER Thomas G

Source : Andy

STATUSKIA
PLACE OF DEATHLa Croix d'Arnoult - 2 km de Montlieu-la-Garde
DATA PLAN 

B-24 Liberator - type H-I-FO - s/n 42-7605 EC*T

"Bull'Bat"

b24

Macr : 1676
Mission : #171 (8th) #21 - Bombardement sur St-Jean-d'Angely (17)

Takeoff Station 118 Wendling, Norfolk

Only the rear gunner could have jumped.

The rest of the crew fell with the aircraft -

The position given on the MACR report is 45°12N 00°21O, or 3 km NO de Bedenac (17) - On the other hand, B17-france.org gives a crash between Orignolles and Montlieu-la-Garde (17), or 6 km NE de Bedenac

A piece of the plane fell on a house, causing a victim to die from her burns on 20/01/1944 (Ms Yvonne Bourdejeau)

Shot down by enemy fighters (or struck by another aircraft) at 12:11 pm, at 18,000 feet - Explosion in flight

CEMETERY TEMPORARY

 CEMTERY TEMPORARY of  Luynes Cemetery, Aix-En-Provance N°3351

Story of Cemetery Temporary 

CEMETERYRHONE AMERICAN CEMETERY and MEMORIAL of Draguignan

Map of Rhône American Cemetery

GRAVE
PlotRowGrave
D66
DECORATION

Air Medal

Purple Heart

World War II Victory Medal

US AAF Air Crew Badge

 

Photo FDLM

victory medal

badge-aaf_aircrew

 

 

usaf  8air force  390bg
STORY
 

DINSMORE Robert S

 
Memorial erected near the crash site of 2Lt Dinsmore's plane.
Photo courtesy 392nd Bomb Group Memorial Association.
Source : Andy
 

On the last mission flown in 1943, the 14th Combat Wing accomplished an excellent bombing task. The target was an airfield southeast of St. Jean D'Angely, France. The Intelligence Annex to Field Order No. 173 stated that the target was "a continuation of the attack on the Luftwaffe only attacking it in its training stages rather than production or finished products."
The 392nd led the 2nd Bomb Division with 27 ships taking off and 23 bombing the briefed target. Fifteen mostly single engine enemy fighters were encountered, including 6 Me-109s, 7 FW-190s, and 3 JU-88s. #42-7605 exploded going into the target area due to this fighter action.

MISSION LOSS CIRCUMSTANCES: Eye-witness account of a returning Group crew man was "ship #605 blew up going to target area; no chutes seen." Sgt. Malavasic's later 'Casualty Questionnaire' report after the war noted the following brief remarks: Their ship left the bomber formation over the target at about 1215 hours, altitude 18,000 feet; (though not available in this single page report, it is presumed that enemy fighter attacks caused this aircrew's downing); that all other crewmen were in their respective positions either seriously wounded or dead at the time of this plane's destruction; and that the aircraft struck the ground about (20) miles from the target.

INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTS OF CREWMEN FATES: The only existing report on this aircrew's loss is the account of Sgt. Malavasic noted above. He was taken as a POW, however no German reports are appended in this MACR regarding his capture, nor any record on the crash of this plane.

According to French researcher Bernard Ballanger, 1st Lt McKee was flying near the end of the 445th Bomb Group formation when they were attacked by a band of German fighters coming from all directions. A French eyewitness saw his B-24 start to smoke and then leave the formation. It exploded into several pieces. A burning wing fell on the home of Mrs. Yvonne Bourdejeau, who died on Jan. 20, 1944 from burns. Another eyewitness saw one of the crew fall to earth in his turret, held in place by his safety harness and seemingly asleep at his guns. Two parachutes were seen and an observer watched in horror as one of them was strafed by the fighters and killed. The other parachutist was tail gunner Sgt Anthony Malavasic, the sole survivor. He was captured within an hour of landing.

BURIAL RECORDS: The crewman who was strafed was buried initially in the village cemetery in Bédenac, France; the rest of the crew was buried initially in the cemetery of St. Vivien. U.S. Cemetery lists record the following; At the RHONE Cemetery, (28) miles west of Cannes and (16) miles inland (France): McKee (Grave C-11-1); Walker (Grave D-6-6); Dinsmore (Grave A-6-19); and Sackal (Grave A-12-5);Simons (Grave D-1-24). No records exist on any of the other deceased crew members, German or U.S. On recorded citations, On recorded citations, McKee, Walker, and Simons are noted as having been awarded an Air Medal and the Purple Heart; Sackal was given awards of an Air Medal with (2) Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart; and Dinsmore, the Purple Heart.

A memorial to the McKee crew near their crash site was unveiled on December 31, 1947 by the organization French Memory. Each anniversary since then, flowers have been laid at the memorial and at Mrs. Boudejeau's grave. In another tribute to the McKee crew and other Allied airmen who participated in that mission, a street in Montlieu-la Garde was renamed "Rue du 31 Décembre 1943."

 

 WALKER Thomas G

Source : Fold3
 

 

Crew of B-24 Liberator - type H-I-FO - s/n 42-7605 EC*T

"Bull'Bat"

 

1Lt Thomas R MCKEE Pilot Dead Cim Am Rhône Draguignan
O-794560 - AM/PH - Lebanon, Tennesse
2Lt Thomas Gillon WALKER CoPilot Dead Cim Am Rhône Draguignan
O-797649 - AM/PH - Son of  Mary G. Walker, Roswell, Pennsylvania
2Lt Robert S
DINSMORE Navigator Dead Cim Am Rhône Draguignan O-798073 - PH - Son of Ada Dinsmore, New Kensington, Pennsylvania
2Lt Lee SIMONS Bomber Dead Cim Am Rhône Draguignan O-734752 - AM/PH - Epoux de Adrienne de Brooklin, Massachusetts
T/Sgt Thomas C MORRISON Radio Dead Jefferson Mem Park Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania
33291054 - Epoux de Marjorie Morrison, Marshall, Pensylvania
T/Sgt Ward M SACKAL Mechanic/Gunner Dead Cim Am Rhône Draguignan
11041277 - AM+2/PH - Son of George J Sackal, Norwalk, Connecticut
S/Sgt Horace G Jr MURPHY Gunner Dead Kilgore City Cem. Texas
18109391 - 22 ans - Né le 25/01/1920 - Epoux de Myra Jane Murphy, Kilgore, Texas
Sgt Marion E NUZUM Gunner Dead MIA 35375471 - AM/PH - 24 ans -  Epoux de Baily et Stella Nuzum, Wheeling, West Virginia
S/Sgt Richard E PAINTER Gunner Dead Dale Cem. Indiana 35478435 - 22 ans - Son of William et Anna (Jones) Painter, Dale, Indiana
S/Sgt Anthony F MALAVASIC Gunner Prisoner - Stalag Luft III Sagan-Silesia  15329587 - Son of Frances Malavasic, Cleveland, Ohio
b24

SOURCE INFORMATION & SOURCE PHOTOAad.archives.gov - Abmc.gov - Findagrave.com - Francecrashes39-45.net
PROGRAMMEURSEric, Henri, Garrett, Clive, Frédéric & Renaud
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