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Herbert William SMALL
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Source : Patootie & Ellen Marchese | |||||||
| NUMBER OF SERVICE | O-746447 | ||||||
| AGE | 23 yo | ||||||
| DATE OF BIRTH | 25 December 1920 Brunswick, Rensselaer County, NEW YORK | ||||||
| ENLISTMENT STATE | MASSACHUSETTS | ||||||
| FAMILY |
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| RANK |
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| FONCTION | Pilot | ||||||
| JOB BEFORE ENLISTEMENT |  | ||||||
| DATE of ENLISTEMENT | |||||||
| SQUADRON | 544th Bomber Squadron | ||||||
| GROUP | 384th Bomber Group, Heavy | ||||||
| ARMY | 8th Air Force | ||||||
| DATE OF DEATH | 27 April 1944 |
Source : F Lavernhe | |||||
| STATUS | KIA | ||||||
| PLACE OF DEATH | Rocheville | ||||||
| PLAN DE VOL / FLIGHT PLAN |
B-17 Fortress - type G-40-BO - s/n 42-97136 SU*J
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| CEMETERY TEMPORARY | CEMETERY COMMUNAL of Cherbourg | ||||||
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CEMETERY TEMPORARY of Blosville N°3508
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| CEMETERY | NORMANDY AMERICAN CEMETERY of Colleville | ||||||
| GRAVE |
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| DECORATION |
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| STORY | |||||||
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Source : Ellefson | |||||||
Source : Frogman | |||||||
Air combat over Rocheville
On 27 April 1944, three hundred and seven B-17 bombers flew over the Cotentin and Pas-de-Calais to drop 1,261 tons of bombs. Among them, the sixteen crews of the 384th Bomber Group are responsible for bombing a site under construction of V2 launch at Sottevast. Every thirty seconds, a bomber takes off before regrouping in flight to reach the north coast of Cotentin. At 10:51, they dropped 63 tons of bombs on the German installation and on the station district. But at the same time, DCA guns were aimed at training bombers from the heights of Saint-Joseph in Breuville. The left wing of B-17 No. 42-97136, which was admitted to service on 12 March without camouflage, is hit by an 88 mm shell. The cockpit ignites, immediately followed by the fuselage. Before the crew can eject, the plane goes into a spin and explodes in flight over the town of Rocheville, dispersing its debris for more than 3 kilometers. The bodies of the ten airmen are found near the church: 2e lieutenant Herbert W. Small, pilote ;
Marion Parker was on her first war mission. They are buried in the cemetery of Cherbourg on April 29, 1944, then four of them are transferred to the American cemetery of Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer |
Stele at Rocheville Source : Frogman | ||||||
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Crew of B-17 Fortress - type G-40-BO - s/n 42-97136 SU*J
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| 2Lt | Herbert William SMALL | Pilot | Dead | Cim Am Colleville-sur-Mer (14) | O-746447 - AM+3/PH - Massachusetts | |
| 2Lt | Roy John | MORRIS | CoPilot | Dead | Cim Am Colleville-sur-Mer (14) | O-810196 - PH - Michigan |
| 2Lt | James Edward | McGUE | Navigator | Dead | Greenmount Cem. Durango, La Plata Co, Colorado | O-703103 - 24 yo - Colorado |
| 2Lt | John Mitchell | SEWACK | Bomber | Dead | Holy Ghost Greek Cath Cem. Jessup, Lackawanna, Pennsylvania | O-754816 - 23 yo - |
| S/Sgt | Marion L | PARKER | Radio | Dead | Cim Am Colleville-sur-Mer (14) | 39408737 - PH - California |
| Sgt | Richard Dominic | PIRRELLO (Pirello) | Gunner | Dead | Inconnu | 32817505 |
| Sgt | John Brooks | REYNOLDS | Gunner | Dead | St-Huberts Ceem. Star Lake, New York | 12099200 - 21 ans - Né le 30/11/1922 à Cranberry Lake, New York - Son of George Willard and Margaret (Brooks) Reynolds |
| Sgt | Edward Joseph | POTKAY | Gunner | Dead | St-Marys Cem. New London, Connecticut | 31326142 - Born in 1924 |
| Sgt | Russel Harrison | ULRICH | Gunner | Dead | Cim Am Colleville-sur-Mer (14) | 33487201 - PH - Pennsylvania |
| S/Sgt | David Edmond | GEORGE | Gunner | Dead | Unknow | 39272639 |
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| SOURCE INFORMATION & SOURCE PHOTO | Wikimanche.fr - Fold3 - Abmc.gov - Findagrave.com - Francecrashes39-45.net - |
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| REDACTEURS | Victor, Jean-Philippe, Eric, Henri, Garrett, Clive, Frédéric & Renaud |