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Darwin Roy NICHOLS
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Source : Aomda.org | |||||||
| NUMBER OF SERVICE | O 770738 | ||||||
| AGE | 27 yo | ||||||
| DATE OF BIRTH | 28 April 1918 American Falls, Comté de Power IDAHO | ||||||
| ENLISTMENT STATE | OREGON | ||||||
| FAMILY |
Spouse : Hélen Bernice GRAVES Mariage : 1er July 1939 from Multnomah OREGON
Parents: Dubois &Emily Jeager Nichols Siblings : Warren, Wilbert. | ||||||
| RANK |
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| FONCTION | Co Pilot | ||||||
| JOB BEFORE ENLISTEMENT | Ingénieur dans une entreprise de peinture |  | |||||
| DATE of ENLISTEMENT | 8 October 1942 Base aérienne de Portland OREGON | ||||||
| SQUADRON | 511th Bomb Squadron | ||||||
| GROUP | 351st Bomb Group, Heavy | ||||||
| ARMY |
1st Air Division 8th Air Forcce | ||||||
| DATE OF DEATH | 27 March 1945 |
Source : Paul | |||||
| STATUS | POW | ||||||
| PLACE OF DEATH | Giessen - Limbourg sur la Lahn | ||||||
| FLIGHT PLAN |
B 17 G - 42 97318 DS.S
Macr : Mission : Staaken, Berlin Germany Base : Polebrook Station #110 Northamptonshire The aircraft was shot down on September 12, 1944 near Staaken | ||||||
| CEMETERY TEMPORARY |
CEMTERY TEMPORARY of Neuville-En-Cordrez Cemetery, Liege, BELGIQUE N° 1260 | ||||||
| CEMETERY |
ARDENNES AMERICAN CEMETERY of Neupré (Neuville-en-Condroz), Liège, Belgium | ||||||
| GRAVE |
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| DECORATION & BREVET |
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| STORY | |||||||
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Darwin R during his training as a sailor Source : Aomda.org |
After the divorce of his parents, Darwin moved with his mother to California, he graduated from Coniva Union School in 1935.
He enters the navy after completing his studies, until 1939, he resigns with the rank of midshipman. | ||||||
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He married Helen on July 1, 1939, was the father of a little girl. The Lieutenant follows pilot training at Jamestown (South Dakota) then Pecos Field in Texas and finally at Lemore in California where he obtains his pilot wings. He was stationed at Polebrook near Oundle in the Northamptonschire (England) where the legend of the screen Clark Gable was also based. |
Source : Aomda.org & Family Search | ||||||
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Source : Ancestry | |||||||
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On September 12, 1944, Lieutenant Darwin was co-pilot of the B 17 "Dinah Mite" for a bombing mission at a refinery in Germany, the formation was returning to England when it was attacked by fighter jets in Enneni. The left wing of B 17 exploded and the plane began to lose altitude, the crew was ordered to evacuate the aircraft, the Lieutenant seeing Sergeant GOODMAN entangled in his straps returned to the rear to help him, they will jump just before the plane falls. Reported, Lieutenant NICHOLS was last seen escaping from a train through the toilet window. After being arrested near Frankfurt, he was captured and imprisoned by the gestapo. After 7 months of captivity, he was taken near the Lahn river and left with 4 other prisoners on March 27, 1945, and his body thrown into the river, the day before the liberation of the prison by the American troops. During the subsequent war crime trials, an accomplice was found guilty and sentenced to 11 years in prison without it being known who ordered this murder. | |||||||
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Source : Ancestry | |||||||
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Source : Ancestry | |||||||
Crew of B 17 G - 42 97318 DS.S"Dinah Might" |
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| 2Lt Robert C LOPERT | Pilot | POW |
| 2 Lt Darwin R NICHOLS | Co Pilot | POW |
| 2 Lt Fred R DAHL | Navigator | KIA |
| 2Lt Charles SURGES | Bomber | POW |
| Sgt Lawrence F GOODMAN |
flight engineer spherical turret machine gun |
POW |
| Sgt Jesse COE | Gunner ball turret | POW |
| Sgt Alton W DREYER | Radio | POW |
| Sgt Albert M SANDLIN | Left or Right Gunner | POW |
| Sgt Paul POMERANZ | tail gunner. | |
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Source : Air Museum |
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| SOURCE INFORMATION & SOURCE PHOTO | JP Gentil - Findagrave.com - Weremember.abmc.gov - Ancestry - B17flyingfortress.de - Aomda.org |
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| REDACTEURS | Victor, Jean-Philippe, Eric, Henri, Garrett, Clive, Frédéric & Renaud |