Leonard E. THORNTON
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Source : | |||||||
NUMBER OF SERVICE | O-727060 (18025202) | ||||||
AGE | 25 yo | ||||||
DATE OF BIRTH | 1919 | ||||||
ENLISTMENT STATE | TEXAS | ||||||
FAMILY | Single | ||||||
RANK | |||||||
FONCTION | Co Pilot | ||||||
JOB BEFORE ENLISTEMENT | Clerks, general office | ||||||
DATE of ENLISTEMENT | 9 October 1940 Kelly Field TEXAS | ||||||
SQUADRON | 358th Bomber Squadron | ||||||
GROUP | 303rd Bomber Group, Heavy | ||||||
ARMY | 8th US Air Force | ||||||
DATE OF DEATH | 16 February 1943 |
Source : F Lavernhe | |||||
STATUS | KIA | ||||||
PLACE OF DEATH | In sea | ||||||
DATA PLAN |
B-17 Fortress - type F-25-BO - s/n 41-24541 VK*B "Spook"
Macr : 15476 Mission : #36 - Attack St-Nazaire submarine base Take off station 107 Molesworth, Cambridgeshire Shot down by enemy hunter | ||||||
CEMETERY | BRITTANY AMERICAN CEMETERY of St James (Montjoie St Martin) | ||||||
GRAVE |
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DECORATION |
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STORY | |||||||
Crew of B-17 Fortress - type F-25-BO - s/n 41-24541 VK*B"Spook"
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Capitaine | Lawrence G DUNNICA | Pilot | Dead | MIA - Tablets Cim Brit Am St-James | O-420376 - AM/PH - OKLAHOMA | |
1st Lieutenant | Leonard E THORNTON | CoPilot | Dead | MIA - Tablets Cim Brit Am St-James | O-727060 - AM/PH - TEXAS | |
2nd Lieutenant | Orson E | PACEY | Navigator | Prisoner- Stalag Luft 3 Sagan-Silesia | O-661545 - INDIANA | |
1st Lieutenant | Robert Otis | SCHEIBLE | Bomber | Prisoner - Stalag Luft 3 Sagan-Silesia | O-660404 - Born the 03/09/1918 - OHIO | |
T/Sergeant | Bertis W HOLLAND | Radio | Dead | MIA - Tablets Cim Brit Am St-James | 16019187 - AM+1 - ILLINOIS | |
S/Sergeant | Robert L DEW | Gunner | Dead | MIA - Tablets Cim Brit Am St-James | 34256736 - AM+1/PH - NORTH CAROLINA | |
S/Sergeant | Claude F TAYLOR | Gunner | Dead | MIA - Tablets Cim Brit Am St-James | 39604307 - AM/PH - MONTANA | |
Sergeant | Wayne E HARKER | Gunner | Dead | MIA - Tablets Cim Brit Am St-James | 35038126 - AM/PH - OHIO | |
T/Sergeant | Harry W | TUCKER | Mecanic/Gunner | Prisoner - Camp unknow | 17021491 - Born the 16/12/1914 | |
S/Sergeant | Philip T | CASCIO | Gunner | Prisoner - Stalag 17B Braunau Gneikendorf | 34273496 - Born the 08/11/1918 - MISSISSIPPI | |
(KIA-POW) 16 Feb 43 mission #16 to St. Nazaire, France in B-17F #41-24541 Spook 358th BS (VK-B) After dropping bombs on the target, Spook left the Group formation to go to the aid of a 306th BG(H) B-17 being attached by a few ME-109s. While circling the damaged B-17 at about 10,000 feet, fifteen ME-109s suddenly appeared. Some members of the 306th BG(H) B-17 then bailed out. Lt Dunnica then started flying a course back to England. Spook was shot down in the English Channel about 20 miles from the English coast. Upon crashing in the cold icy water the B-17 broke into parts. Tail Gunner, Sgt Taylor, went down in the tail section. Waist Gunner, S/Sgt Dew, was last seen floating in high waves. Pilot, Lt Dunnica, failed to get out the Pilot's window and went down with his B-17. Radio Operator, T/Sgt Holland, had been shot and couldn't exit the B-17. Lt Pacey, T/Sgt Tucker and S/Sgt Cascio escaped through the radio hatch and reached an inflated rubber dinghy. They spent about fourteen hours in the dinghy, were strafed three times, flipped over many times in the high waves, and eventually reached the French coast near Brest in the early dark morning. They found a small shoreline hut and slept a short time. About 0600 they saw a distant French House. The French family gave them coffee, bread and a change of clothing and then asked the crewmen to leave since German soldiers were in the area. They were captured a few hours later and transported to a jail in Paris, then to Frankfurt, Germany and POW camps. |
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(Accroupis L-R) T/Sgt Harry W. TUCKER (E)(POW), S/Sgt Philip T. CASCIO (BTG)(POW), T/Sgt Bertis W. HOLLAND (R)(KIA), S/Sgt Robert L. DEW (RWG)(KIA), S/Sgt Claude F. TAYLOR (TG)(KIA) |
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SOURCE INFORMATION & SOURCE PHOTO | Francecrashes39-45.net - 303rdbg.com |
SOURCE INFORMATION & SOURCE PHOTO | Aad.archives.gov - Abmc.gov - Findagrave.com - 303rdbg.com |
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PROGRAMMER | Henri, Garrett, Clive, Frédéric & Renaud |