Lawrence George DUNNICA

 

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Source : 

NUMBER OF SERVICEO-420376
AGE25 yo
DATE OF BIRTH15 December 1917 Guthrie, Logan County, OKLAHOMA
ENLISTMENT STATEOKLAHOMA
FAMILYSingle
RANKCaptain
FONCTIONPilot
JOB BEFORE ENLISTEMENTClerks, general officeNE
DATE of ENLISTEMENT24  November 1940 Oklahoma City OKLAHOMA
 SQUADRON358th Bomber Squadron
 GROUP303rd Bomber Group, Heavy
ARMY8th US Air Force
DATE OF DEATH16 February 1943

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Source : F Lavernhe

STATUSKIA
PLACE OF DEATHIn sea
DATA PLAN

B-17 Fortress - type F-25-BO - s/n 41-24541 VK*B

"Spook"

blosville

Macr : 15476

Mission : #36 - Attack St-Nazaire submarine base

Take off station 107 Molesworth, Cambridgeshire Shot down by enemy hunter

 
CEMETERYBRITTANY AMERICAN CEMETERY of St James (Montjoie St Martin)

Map of St James American Cemetery

GRAVE
PlotRowGrave
Wall of the missing
DECORATION

Air Medal

Purple Heart

World War II Victory Medal

Brevet Pilot

 

am

Photo FDLM

victory medal

combat infantryman badge

usaf  8air force  303bg 358bs
STORY
 

 

Crew of B-17 Fortress - type F-25-BO - s/n 41-24541 VK*B

"Spook"

 

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.

equipage 41 24541


(Debout L-R) 1Lt Lawrence G. DUNNICA (P)(KIA), 2Lt Orson E. PACEY (CP)(POW), 1Lt Leonard E. THORNTON (N)(KIA), 2Lt James H. MONTGOMERY (B)(KIA)

(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)

SOURCE INFORMATION & SOURCE PHOTO Francecrashes39-45.net - 303rdbg.com

SOURCE INFORMATION & SOURCE PHOTOFrancecrashes39-45.net - Aad.archives.gov - Abmc.gov - Findagrave.com  -  303rdbg.com  
PROGRAMMERHenri, Garrett, Clive, Frédéric & Renaud
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