James Leonard Ellis
MilitaryLeft Waist Gunner
Jerry Payne Crew
388th BG - 561st BS
KIA - 20 Feb 1944
On a mission to Poznan, Poland, B-17G #42-39894 'Barbara' left the formation due to a fuel leak and was shot down by fighters, exploded in mid-air, and crashed near Funen, Denmark on 20 Feb 1944. Killed in Action (KIA).
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
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: 388th Bomb Group 561st Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-803675
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 388th Bomb Group 561st Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-672514
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
Missions
- Date: 20 February 1944
- Date: 6 February 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Strawn, Texas | 14 October 1910 | |
Enlisted |
Tulsa, Oklahoma | 2 October 1942 | |
Buried |
Henryetta, OK | West Lawn Cemetery Henryetta, Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, USA | |
Died Killed In Action (KIA) |
Assens, Denmark | 20 February 1944 | Shot down on his 2nd combat mission. Accounts vary on the manner in which the B-17 went down. One account states it was fired upon by fighters over the island of Fyn and disintegrated in mid-air. Another states the pilot attempted an emergency landing but crashed near Assens. Six crewmen were recovered from the wreckage. |
Revisions
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/132106392/_
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2238/images/44031_09_0…
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?
indiv=1&dbid=8939&h=4823619&tid=&pid=&queryId=eb37220b3658893bdb646be4b49344b9&usePUB=true&_phsrc=JLv5491&_phstart=successSource
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2375/images/40050_6440…
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/132106392/_
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2238/images/44031_09_0…
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?
indiv=1&dbid=8939&h=4823619&tid=&pid=&queryId=eb37220b3658893bdb646be4b49344b9&usePUB=true&_phsrc=JLv5491&_phstart=successSource
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2375/images/40050_6440…
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2432 / MACR 2432, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database