Jack J MARTELL

 

martell jack
ARMY SERIAL NUMBERO-815360 (16046521)
AGE21 yo
DATE OF BIRTH1923
STATEMilwaukee WISCONSIN
FAMILYParent : Chester & Marie MARTELL
Brother : Kenneth
RANK2nd Lieutenant
FONCTION

Pilot

aile de pilote

JOB before ENLISTEMENTGardeners and grounds keepers, parks, cemetaries,WISCONSIN
DATE of ENLISTEMENT27 october 1941 Milwaukee WISCONSIN
REGIMENT388th Fighter Squadron
DIVISION GROUP365th Fighter Bomb "Hell Hawks"
ARMY9th Tacticul Air Command
DATE OF DEATH6 june 1944martell jack
STATUSKIA
PLACE OF DEATHSt Lo d'Ourville
DATA PLAN

P-47 Thunderbolt - type D-10-RE - s/n 42-75168

P 47N Thunderbolt

 

Macr: 5531

Mission: Bombardement

Take off: Station 408 Beaulieu, HAMPSHIRE

Destroyed by its own bombs

CEMETERY TEMPORARY

Cemetery Temporary of Blosville N°3508

Photo FDLM
See the history of the Provisional Cemeteries
CEMETERYNORMANDY AMERICAN CEMETERY from Colleville

Map Normandy American Cemetery

PlotRowGrave
E735
DECORATION
Purple HeartPhoto FDLM
Air MedalPhoto FDLM
Silver StarPhoto FDLM
usaf9af365fg388fs
 

Son of Chester and Marie MARTELL, Jack has a brother Kenneth and live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Jack is a gardener in parks, gardens and cemeteries.

He joined the Air Corps in 1941. After completing his basic training, he joined the pilot schools at Dover Air Base where he began his P-47 training and then traveled to Milville Air Base, New Jersey In the practice of shooting.

On May 15, 1943 the 365th Fighter Group was activated and the P-47 Group was given to the Group. Jack joined the unit and base in Richmond until December 4, when he left the U.S.A. for England aboard the Queen Elizabeth.

He arrived on December 23 and went with the Group to Gosfield in Essex on the AAF station 154.

Station GOSFIELD AAF  154

The P-47s joined them a little later and were operational in February 1944.

Photo du P47 du 388fs

February 22 is the first mission for the unit called "Hell Hawks" (the hawks of hell), then missions of escort bombers (B-17 and B -24) of the 8th US Air Force.

On 5 and 6 March the Group moved to Beaulieu in Hampshire at AAF 408.

station AAF 408

Jack and the Group begin training on ground attacks and bombardments in preparation for Overlord.

formation d'attaque

On June 6, 1944, the Group was engaged in Overlord, the 388th FS mission was to bombard a slope supporting the railway between Carteret and the Hague-du-Puits as well as the bridge Near Couperville.

Arrived on the objective the hunters plunge on the bridge and bombard in dive; Jack releases his bombs, unfortunately the delay fuses do not work and a bomb explodes during the descent.

Jack's P-47 is hit by the blast of the explosion and its debris, the plane continues in line then plunges abruptly, strikes the ground and explodes.

Lieutenant SMITH Jack's winger and witness of his terrible destiny will say not to have seen Jack come out before. The crash takes place at Saint-Lô-D'Ourville in the hamlet of La Charpenterie.

On that day the Group will lose two pilots: Lieutenant Robert Shipe and 2nd Lieutenant Jack Martell, both under the same circumstances, on June 6, 1944 it is not the enemy who Will have overcome these valiant heroes but technical failings. Jack will be buried in the temporary cemetery of Blosville and transferred to Colleville-sur-Mer.

ALG 7 à Fontenay-sur-Mer
Map ALG 7 in Fontenay-sur-Mer - Advanced Landing Groud

 

The 365th Fighter Group will arrive in France and settle on ALG 7 in Fontenay-sur-Mer at the end of June and will remain there until August 14th, where it will obtain 12 aerial victories during this period . 4 to 6 missions were carried out on a daily basis at this aerodrome. He will participate in the end of the capture of Cherbourg, Operation Cobra and the Poche de Chambois.

The 365th Fighter Group will fight until 4th May 1945, that is 14 and a half months operational in the European air operations theater.

69 men most pilots will give their lives for our freedom.


Different formations of fighting fighter P-47

Photo Fdlm
Photo Fdlm
Photo Fdlm
Photo Fdlm

INFORMATION SOURCESBruno CADEVILLE - Francecrashes39-45.net - Aad.archives.gov
PICTURE SOURCEBruno CADEVILLE - Findagrave.com - Max
PROGRAMMERFrédéric & Renaud
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