Julian Arthur Harvey
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Harvey flew the B-24D, Hellsadroppin', on Operation Tidal Wave to Ploesti, Romania, and was forced to return to base during after suffering engine failure 35 minutes into the mission. Aug 1, 1943. He flew a total of 29 combat missions with the 93rd Bomb Group.
Before enlisting in the Air Force, Harvey worked as a model for the John Roberts Powers Agency
Harvey remained in the Air Force after the war, qualifying to fly fighter aircraft on bombing missions. He took part in 114 fighter - bomber missions during the Korean War. He was medically discharged from the Air Force in 1958 with the rank of Major.
In 1949 Harvey's then second wife and mother in law were killed in a car accident where he was the driver. He had somehow managed to exit the vehicle before it skidded over a bridge into the river, and walked away from the crash uninjured. Harvey collected a generous insurance payout from this accident, along with the sinking of two of his boats under suspicious circumstances.
In November 1961 Harvey and his sixth wife, Mary Dene, were crewing a sailing craft, Bluebelle, from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas for the Duperrault family. On the return voyage on November 12, 1961, Harvey murdered his wife, Dr. and Mrs. Duperrault, and two of their children, before scuttling the vessel. The Duperrault's daughter Terry Jo was left aboard while he escaped.
Harvey was picked up by the coast guard with body of the Duperrault's youngest daughter, 12 hours later, and claimed the boat had been destroyed in a storm. Though he later told a close friend that had "lost his nerve" after the mast broke and abandoned ship, leaving the family to die. Harvey was attending a hearing over the sinking of the Bluebelle when on 16 November 16, 1961, Terry Jo was rescued, having drifted aboard a life raft for three days.
After being informed of her rescue, Harvey left the hearing, checked into a motel under an assumed name, and committed suicide by cutting his wrists, legs and throat with a razor.
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
Missions
- Date: 1 August 1943
- Official Description:
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
1 March 1917 | ||
Enlisted |
15 August 1941 | ||
Died |
17 November 1961 | ||
Buried |
Buried at Sea |
Revisions
NARA files verified DFC for WW II. He received one oak leaf cluster to the DFC in 1953 by HQ Fifth Air Force. He was awarded the AM w/5 oak leaf clusters during WW II. He received the 6th oak leaf cluster in 1952 and 7th and 8th oak leaf clusters to the Air Medal in 1953 by HQ Fifth Air Force.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Dugan & Stewart 'Ploesti', Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. 1 by Bishop and Hey p. 45