John Wallace Gerrity
Military
John W. Gerrity Crew
466th BG - 785th BS
Standing Left to Right: John W. Gerrity (P), Frank McGonagill (CP), Ligon Moore (N), Henry Heidtbrink (B)
Kneeling Left to Right: Leo J. Voelker (FE), Winfred Hart (R/O), Robert E. Finnerty (RWG), Lynn Etchison (TG), Carlo Galvagno (BTG)
This crew completed a 35 missin tour
Attlebridge Arsenal - Brassfield & Wassom
Object Number - UPL 6519 - Crew #545 John W. Gerrity Crew 466th BG - 785th BS Standing Left to Right: John W. Gerrity (P), Frank McGonagill (CP), Ligon Moore (N), Henry...
35 missions flown, 7 August 1944 through 4 March 1945
AM, 4 Oak Leaf Cluster/ ETO Ribbon, 6 Battle Stars
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: 466th Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade)
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade)
- Role/Job: waist gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 31306650
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade)
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 13062918
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade)
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Mister Chance
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Damifino
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 784th Bomb Squadron 785th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Same Ole Crap
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Ma's Lil Angel
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 491st Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 4 March 1945
- Date: 21 February 1945
- Date: 14 February 1945
- Official Description:
- Date: 24 December 1944
- Date: 18 December 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Attlebridge Arsenal, Station 120
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Dallas, Texas | 19 September 1921 | |
|
Other 466th BG Combat Tour |
Attlebridge, Norwich, Norfolk NR9, UK | 7 August 1944 - 4 March 1945 | completed a 35 mission tour. |
|
Other 1st Combat Mission |
Ghent, Belgium | 7 August 1944 | Target was oil storage tanks at Ghent, Belgium. Flak at coast and over target. No battle damage. Flew in low left squadron. Carried 52 x 100 lbs. GP bombs. No bombs dropped. Time: 5:30 hours. No fighter escort seen |
|
Other 2nd Combat Mission |
02440 Clastres, France | 8 August 1944 | Flak at coast, at Ghent, at the target and again at Ghent on the way out. Two flak holes. One in the right aileron near the Tokyo tank and on the right landing gear cover, about 10 inches from the tire. Guarded channel "C". High right squadron. P-51's and P-47's gave good escort. 24 x 250 lb. GP bombs. Time: 5:00 hours |
|
Other 3rd Combat Mission |
Mourmelon-le-Grand, France | 12 August 1944 | Airfield at Mourmelon, France was the target. Flak at target was moderate and accurate. Flak at Brussels was moderate and inaccurate. Flak at Rotterdam was moderate to intense and very accurate! No battle damage. Low left squadron. P-51's gave good escort. 52 x 100 lb. GP bombs. Time: 7:40 hours |
|
Other 4th Combat Mission |
14100 Lisieux, France | 13 August 1944 | Lines of communication and main roads between Caen and Rouen near Lisieux, France - Faliase Gap. Flak at Falaise and near target, moderate and accurate. Two holes. One behind the co-pilots seat and one below the right waist window. Three long grooves dug in the top of the right wing. Bombed two different roads visually in 6-ship formations from 18,000 feet. High right element in the lead squadron. P-51 escort. 48 x 100 lb. GP bombs. Time: 5:30 hours |
|
Other 5th Combat Mission |
Magdeburg, Germany | 16 August 1944 | Junkers engine factor at Magdeburg, Germany. Flak at Alkmaar, Brunswick and Helmstadt was intense and very accurate. At the target it was also intense and accurate. At Bremen, Wilhelmshaven and the Easter Frisians, flak was moderate to intense and accurate. Also got flak at Wenemunde. Six flak holes and two big dents on the nose turret. One hole left rear bomb bay door. One in door to rear compartment. One below right waist window near the chaff chute. One hit in #1 prop. One hit in the left main tire. Guarded channel "C". One group was hit by fighters, but not ours. Flew left wing lead element in high right squadron. P-51's and P-47's gave good escort. 12 x 500 lbs. M-17 IB's. Time: 7:45 hours |
|
Other 6th Combat Mission |
30629 Misburg, Germany | 24 August 1944 | Oil refinery and storage facilities at Misburg near Hannover. Flak 5 miles south of Cuxhaven and at Hannover/Misburg was moderate to intense and accurate. Flak also encountered Steinhudder Lake. Very good navigation. No battle damage. Guarded channel "C". A number of groups were hit by fighters, but not ours. Flew left wing on lead element in the high right squadron. P-51's, P-47's and P-38's gave very good escort. 20 x 250 lb. GP bombs. Bombed from 23,500 feet. Germans lead down intense smoke screens over all towns on our course. Time: 6:45 hours |
|
Other 7th Combat Mission |
Lübeck, Germany | 25 August 1944 | Dornier a/c factory making fuselages and wings for ME-109's and FW-190's at Lubeck, Germany. Flak at Amrum Island before crossing Denmark. Twelve gun battery at Lubeck. Good navigation. One large flak hole under wing between #1 & #2 engines. Some groups hit by fighters, but not ours. Lead high right element in 2nd squadron. Very good escort from P-38's, P-47's and P-51's. 10 x 500 lbs. M-17 Incendiary bombs. Flew at 25,300 feet. |
|
Other 8th Combat Mission |
62390 Villers-l'Hôpital, France | 30 August 1944 | Target in Calais at town of Villers el Compeial (Villers d'Hopital) due east of Pont Haute-Bans. Flak at target, flak at Pont Haute-Bans and at Viillers on the way out. Target 20 miles NNE of Abbeville. No battle damage. Flew left wing of lead element in lead squadron. P-51's gave area support. 23 x250 lbs. GP bombs. Bombed from 23,300 feet. Temp was -24C,. Time 6:00 hours. Saw the White Cliffs of Dover on the return to England. Instrument let down with 300 foot ceilings at our base. Garrett crash landed at RAF Manston on this mission. This mission against V-1 buxx bombs launching sites to reduce V-1 attacks on southern England |
|
Other 10th Combat Mission |
Cologne, Germany | 17 October 1944 | Hit secondary target by H2X. Railroad yards in the eastern part of Cologne. IP was 5 miles south of Aachen. Flak over Cologne was very intense and accurate. One rocket bomb just missed our #3 engine. There were a number of loud bursts of flak that we could here. The explosions bounced the ship around quite a bit. Lee saw one burst of flak just behind the #2 engine and about 20 feet below our altitude. Rockets at Aachen, Koblenz and Cologne. Bombed in six ship sections through 10/10th cloud cover. Briefed to fly #5 in lead section. Just after bombs away we slid into the #3 position. Seven groups of P-51's gave good support. Left main tire deflated after landing. Flak holes in the tire. Hole in the de-icer boot of the tail section. Bombed from 23,000 feet. Temp -32C. Entered and left continent at Ostend. 6x500 M-17 incendiaries' and 6x500 GP bombs. Let down to 15,000 feet over France and then to 1500 feet over the Channel. Hank passed out from lack of Oxygen at the IP but Lee revived him. Hank didn't look out of the nose section during the entire bomb run. He thinks it was a rather easy mission. Etchison rode in the nose turret. Etch toggled on the lead shop and we had no bomb rack trouble. |
|
Other 14th Combat Mission |
Karlsruhe, Germany | 5 November 1944 | Marshalling yards at Karlsruhe. Primary target was a concrete fortress about 20 miles SE of Metz, France in support of General Patton's 3rd Army, 4 miles west of the target. Primary was to be bombed visually only. Secondary target was the marshaling yards at Karlsruhe either visually or by H2X. We bombed by H2X from 23,400 feet though 10/10th cloud cover. Moderate to intense flak as we crossed the front lines on the way out. Heavy flak barrage with rockets at Manheim, Germany on our left during the bomb run. Led the slot element of the high right squadron. Temp was -32C. Entered coast from Dungeness to Bolougne to IP south of Saarbrucken to Karlsruhe passing near Strasbourg to Nancy. Let down to 10,000 feet over France on the way out. Left continent at Ostend. Front covered our base upon return. Violent turbulence with heavy rain and visibilities of less than 1/2 a mile. 3 x 2000 lb. GP bombs. Time: 6:50 hours. Three groups of P-51's gave good escort. |
|
Other Srubbed Mission |
Attlebridge, Norwich, Norfolk NR9, UK | 12 November 1944 | Sunday. Briefed for a mission to Buer, Germany in the Gelsenkirchen area. Oil target producing 5.6% of German oil, or tons per year. Mission was scrubbed after the briefing. |
|
Other 15th Combat Mission |
Eschweiler, Germany | 16 November 1944 | To a point 1 1/2 miles north of Eschweiler and miiles NE of Aachen. Primary and secondary the same; German troops, tank and artillery concentrations. General Hodges 1st Army and General Simpson's 9th Army began an offensive through this point after we bombed. Ground forces were scheduled to move up at 1245. We were delayed on takeoff because of thick fog and poor vis. We bombed at 1244. Infantry moved up 15 minutes later. We entered the continent near Ostend and left near Cape Griz Nez. Flak at target was moderate to intense, and accurate. Flak all around the rally point over enemy lines. Target was bombed via GH with visual assist. The ground over the lines was covered with a blanket of snow. Muck took his camera. He got good pictures of formations and the White Cliffs of Dover. Used the SCS-51 localizer in order to locate the bomb line. No bombs were dropped on our own troops. Bombed in group formation from 21,000 feet. Temp -36C. Ackerman (GSC) dirved our group to Sandtoft RAF base. We got back to our base at 1400 hours on Sunday |
|
Other Recalled Mission |
Attlebridge, Norwich NR9, UK | 20 November 1944 | Briefed for a mission to Bottrop, Germany in the middle of the Ruhr Valley. Oil Refineries and storage. Bomb by visible identification or GH. Secondary target were the RR Yards at Munster to be bombed by vis. or H2X. Took off and formed at 16,000 feet at Buncher 15. Mission recalled after forming. Let down through a low pressure front center in the base area. Heavy rain and 1/4 mile visibility at base. Time: 3:15 hours |
|
Died |
Houston, TX, USA | 14 March 2005 | |
| Dallas, TX, USA | 848 Clinton |
Revisions
Contributor466thHistorian
Changes
Sources
466th BG Archives - Mission Report for 22 Oct 1944
NARA research provided by Brad Sullivan
Contributor466thHistorian
Changes
Sources
466th BG Archives - Mission Report for 14 October 1944
NARA document research provided by Brad Sullivan
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / self & Page 274 in the book SECOND AIR DIVISION by Turner Publishing Co, 1998 edition