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Military
Lt Crockatt and crew of the 360th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, beside Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Shangrila Lil'. England, 12 Aug. 1943. Rear L-R: 2Lt William Cramsie, 2Lt George Crockatt, 2Lt Israel Millner, 2Lt Meran Barsam. Front L-R: S/Sgt Benjamin Clarke, S/Sgt Eugene Williams, S/Sgt James Burke, T/Sgt Allen Jaynes, Sgt Eddie Homer, T/Sgt Morris Tepper.
Assigned to 360BS, 303BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Watten in B-17 #42-29754 'Shangri-La Lil'. Flak hit in bomb bay, exploded and crashed at St Omer, near Merville, France. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 405
Awards: AM, PH (OLC).
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 303rd Bomb Group
Assigned to 360BS, 303BG, 8AF USAAF. 6 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Watten in B-17 #42-29754 'Shangri-La Lil'. Flak hit in bomb bay, exploded and crashed at St Omer, near Merville, France. 27-Aug-43 POW MACR 405.
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Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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Group
The 303rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated on 3-Feb-1942 at Pendleton Field, Oregon. They assembled at Gowen Field, Idaho on 11-February 1942 where it conducted flight training until 12-Jun-1942. The Group then moved to Alamogordo Field, New...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 12/2/43; Rapid City 22/2/43; Kearney 12/3/43.
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27 August 1943
This mission is the first attack by the USAAF on suspected V-Weapon sites. The German development of pilotless winged aircraft was first divulged to the British just shortly after the beginning of World War II in two letters sent to the British embassy...
Military site : airfield
Molesworth was one of the early stations used by the Eighth Air Force in the UK, first occupied by the 15th Bomb Squadron’s Douglas Bostons in June 1942. Built in 1940 and extended and improved in 1942, Molesworth is most associated with the 303rd...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Ohio, USA | October 1919 |
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Son of Meran A and Hazel H [Robinson] Barsam. |
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| Lived in | Los Angeles, CA, USA | 1941 |
| Enlisted | Los Angeles, CA, USA | 10 April 1942 |
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Los Angeles, California |
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| Based | Molesworth | 1943 – 27 August 1943 |
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Assigned to 360BS, 303BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Pilot training | Ephrata, WA 98823, USA | April 1943 |
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Flight training Ephrata, Washington Apr-43. |
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| Died | Saint-Omer, France | 27 August 1943 |
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Failed to Return (FTR) Watten in B-17 42-29754 'Shangri-La Lil'. Flak hit in bomb bay, exploded and crashed at St Omer, near Merville, France. KIA. MACR 405 |
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| Buried | Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial | 1946 |
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Re-Interred |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 28 March 2020 18:23:48 | jmoore43 | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 March 2020 18:43:01 | Al_Skiff | Changes to biography, events and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/image/38296716 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 February 2020 02:07:07 | jmoore43 | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" for clarity. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 February 2018 11:53:36 | Lucy May | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Brought in sources from duplicate record: Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 405, http://303rdbg.com/rost-ab.html">http://303rdbg.com/rost-ab.html> |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 01 February 2018 19:34:25 | Al_Skiff | Changes to middlename, nickname, service number, biography, awards, events, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/record/529911318-meran-a-barsam-jr |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:20:04 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
MACR 405 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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