COMMENTS & NOTES
MEMO 1:
CREW
2nd Lt James W. McGuire P KlA 28 APR 44 SOTTEVAST (NOBALL)
2nd Lt Randell L. Bradley CP POW 28 APR 44 SOTTEVAST (NOBALL)
2nd Lt John M. Jones BOM POW 28 APR 44 SOTTEVAST (NOBALL) (flew as Navigator on this mission)
2nd Lt Eluid J. Knapp NAV CPT 24 AUG 44 RUHLAND S-2 AFTER COMPLETION OF TOUR
T/Sgt Frank V. DeGeorge TTE POW 28 APR 44 SOTTEVAST (NOBALL) sn 12148386
T/Sgt Rodney McCaughin ROG KIA 28 APR 44 SOTTEVAST (NOBALL)
S/Sgt Joseph A. Eck TOG KIA 28 APR 44 SOTTEVAST (NOBALL)
S/Sgt John R. Ribuffo BTG KIA 28 APR 44 SOTTEVAST (NOBALL)
S/Sgt Alan R. Dill WG KIA 28 APR 44 SOTTEVAST (NOBALL)
S/Sgt Donald E. Kuntz WG KIA 28 APR 44 SOTTEVAST (NOBALL)
S/Sgt John . Sabotka TG KIA 28 APR 44 SOTTEVAST (NOBALL)
349th Sqdn. Crew joined group in March 1944. See SPLASHER SI (p. 4 Spring 1975) Also see John Miller letter 17/3/81.
McGuire and Eck both buried at Omaha Beach. 12th mission for crew except Eck who was on his 2nd misslon with this crew. MACR #4238, Microfiche #1503, A/C #42-107056 "The Denver Doll".
MEMO: LT JAMES W. McGUIRE BURIED: AMERICAN MILITARY CEMETERY AT OMAHA BEACH GRAVE C-14-23
Jones was the bombardier of this crew but on 28/4/44 he Was flying as navigator. Navigator of this crew when it joined the 100th was Eluid J. Knapp who CPT in Aug. 1944. After completing his tour, Knapp was transferred to S2 (Intelligence). Phone call from Knapp OII 21/5/85...jb
Eyewitness: "A/C #056 recieved a direct flak hit on the # 1 engine. Knocked engine back on wing catching the wing on fire. A/c peeled off into the second element disrupting it and gliding down into the clouds. Two (2) chutes seen. A/C hit at 1020 hours / 4932N and 0130W.
Lt. C.H. Cowan
Lt. R.W. Wright
From statements by John M. Jones and Randell L. Bradley after release from POW camp, it is apparent the A/C exploded before all crew members had sufficient time to bail out. Jones, the Bombardier, flew this mission as the Navigator and broke a leg upon landing. On 02 May 1944, the seven KIAs in this aircraft were buried in the "English Cementary in Cherbourg." This aircraft and that of Col. Kelly and Capt William Lakin were shot down near Tamerville (three (3) miles north of Valognes)
List of Missions of T/Sgt Frank V. DeGeorge (mpf 2001)
1. 1/4/44 LUDWIGSHAVEN
2. 8/4/44 QUACKENBRUCH
3. 10/4/44 MALDEGEM
4. 11/4/44 ROSTOCK
5. 12/4/44 SCHKEUDITZ
6. 13/4/44 AUGSBURG
7. 19/4/44 LIPPSTADT
8. 20/4/44 MARQUENVILLE
9. 25/4/44 DIJON
10. 27/4/44 FLATTENANVILLE
11. 27/4/44 LeCULOT
12. 28/4/44 SOTTEVAST
MEMO 2:
FRANK V. DE GEORGE
Obituary
Frank V. De George of Monsey passed away peacefully at home on February 15, 2003. He was 80. Born on October 21, 1922 in Spring Valley, NY to the late Pasquale and Theresa Perruna De George. On September 22, 1946, he married Diana Rosso in St. Anthony's Church in Nanuet. Frank was a World War II Veteran, serving in the Army Air Force 349th Squadron 100th Bomb Group. He was a former Prisoner of War. He was a member of the Fred Eller Post 1447, VFW San Juan Post 2050 in Spring Valley, the Rockland 40 & 8 Voiture Local 386, the Suffern Rotary and the Hudson Valley Chapter of the American Ex-Prisoners of War. Frank is the former owner of Glen Hill Service Station in Monsey. He was an avid hunter and fisherman and enjoyed ballroom dancing with his wife. Survivors include his devoted wife, Diana of Monsey; loving children: Robert F. and his wife Carolyn De George of Kansas City, MO and Paul De George of Huntington Beach, CA; two cherished grandchildren: Kristen and Robert DeGeorge. He was predeceased by one brother and three sisters. The family will be present to receive friends on Tuesday, February 18, 2003 from 2-4 and 7-9 PM at WANAMAKER & CARLOUGH, 177 Rte 59, Suffern, NY. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, February 19, 2003 at 10 AM at Sacred Heart Church, Suffern. Burial to follow in St. Anthony's Cemetery, Nanuet.
Published in the The Journal News on Feb. 17, 2003
Frank DeGeorge 349th Squadron February 15, 2003
Frank was Top Turret Engineer Gunner on the James W. McGuire crew, joining the 100th BG in March 1944. Flying his 12th mission on April 28, 1944 (Sottevast), their B-17 was shot down and fellow crew members McGuire and Joseph Eck were KIA; Frank survived and became a POW. In 2012, Frank’s son, Paul, recalled returning to Thorpe Abbotts with his father: “Needless to say, it was a moving experience and he loved seeing his fellow AF buddies again. He was so proud to serve our country with so many courageous men and women. Dad was one of three that bailed out after the B-17 headed by 2nd LT James W. McGuire was hit and exploded over Cherbourg, France on April 28, 1944. My father became a POW for over a year. I often remember his fellow crew members that didn't make it and the stories he told me - like how he fell through the air with one strap of his parachute attached, and the forced-march to Mooseburg. So when I think I'm having a bad day, well, I think again.”
