Angelo Santandrea
MilitaryBombardier
Crew #608 - Milton Hinman Crew
466th BG - 786th BS
466th Bomb Group collection
466th BG Historian
During World War II, he flew as a lead bombardier on B-24 bombers out of England over enemy occupied Continental Europe. While assigned to the 466th Bomb Group, 2nd Bomb Division, 8th Air Force, he completed a combat tour of 30 missions from March 22, 1944 (Berlin) to Aug. 6, 1944 (Hamburg). On his 19th mission, June 25, 1944 target was airfield/depot at Bretagne, France in the vicinity of Paris; immediately after bomb release he suffered shrapnel wounds from ground based anti-aircraft guns. He was awarded the Purple Heart on July 2, 1944. He received other citations including, Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross. While in the service, he served as a Bombardier Instructor at Pueblo Army Air Base, Pueblo, Colo. He was honorably discharged in 1945 as a first lieutenant.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 786th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-544515
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group
- Service Numbers: O-609503
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Navigator
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Wild-Pussy/Sully's Saloon
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 786th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Laden Maid
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 786th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 786th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 6 August 1944
- Date: 22 March 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Attlebridge Arsenal, Station 120
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Other Wounded In Action |
Paris, France | 25 June 1944 | |
Died |
Long Branch, NJ, USA | 29 March 2007 | ANGELO "SANDY" SANTANDREA, 83, of WEST LONG BRANCH Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 03/31/07 ANGELO "SANDY" SANTANDREA, 83, of WEST LONG BRANCH, died Thursday, March 29, at St. Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center, Long Branch. He was born in Newark and lived there and in Bloomfield before moving to West Long Branch 39 years ago. He was an electronic engineer at the Electronic Command Center at Fort Monmouth for 38 years before retiring in 1995. He was a tech rep for Hughes Aircraft, Los Angeles, Calif. and traveled around the world, including Okinawa, Hong Kong and Tokyo. During World War II, he flew as a lead bombardier on B-24 bombers out of England over enemy occupied Continental Europe. While assigned to the 466th Bomb Group, 2nd Bomb Division, 8th Air Force, he completed a combat tour of 30 missions from March 22, 1944 (Berlin) to Aug. 6, 1944 (Hamburg). On his 19th mission, June 25, 1944 target was airfield/depot at Bretagne, France in the vicinity of Paris; immediately after bomb release he suffered shrapnel wounds from ground based anti-aircraft guns. He was awarded the Purple Heart on July 2, 1944. He received other citations including, Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross. While in the service, he served as a Bombardier Instructor at Pueblo Army Air Base, Pueblo, Colo. He was honorably discharged in 1945 as a first lieutenant. He was a graduate of Barringer High School, Newark and from the Newark College of Engineering. He loved to play the guitar and the piano and sing. Mr. Santandrea was a life member of NARFE Chapter 411, life-member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, life member of VFW Post 711, Bloomfield and a communicant of St. Jerome's Roman Catholic Church, West Long Branch. |
Buried |
Oceanport, NJ, USA | 1 April 2007 | Woodbine Cemetery and Mausoleum Oceanport Monmouth County New Jersey, USA |
Born |
Newark, NJ, USA |
Revisions
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Unit roster in the book ATTLEBRIDGE ARSENAL by Wassom and Brassfield, page 350