Norman G Whitman

Military
media-16129.jpeg UPL 16129 S/Sgt Norman G. Whitman during training at Aerial Gunnery School - Tyndall AAB - November 1942

MACR 379; personal recollections of nephew, SGM Chris Lewis

Object Number - UPL 16129 - S/Sgt Norman G. Whitman during training at Aerial Gunnery School - Tyndall AAB - November 1942

Graduated Aerial Gunner School Class 41-49 at Tyndall Field, Florida on 08 December 1942.



Painter crew (Pilot 1LT Jack Painter) One of original crews of 532d Squadron, 381st Bomb Group (H) - trained at Pyote Army Airfield - Pyote, TX - January - May 1943



Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 'Sweet Eloise' #42-30020 (A/C crash-landed upon arrival at Ridgewell 10 June 1943).



Shot down 17 August 1943 on B-17F #42-30140 'King Malfunction II'. Mission #20 - Schweinfurt, Germany. MACR 379.



Prisoner of War (POW) at Stalag VIIA in Moosburg, Germany; then moved to Stalag XVIIB Krems, Austria (Listed in Barracks 38B.)



Discharged 14 October 1945



“S/Sgt Whitman bailed out and got hung up in a tree in his parachute. He was found by 1LT Robert Nelson (Group Operations Officer & Co-Pilot) and S/Sgt Raymond Genz (RWG). Whitman fell out of his harness to the ground where it was thought he broke his ribs. The three men soon met up with S/Sgt Kellogg (BTG) who was wounded. Due to their injuries, S/Sgts Whitman and Kellogg agreed that they could not move any further. They turned themselves in to the Germans the next day. 1Lt Nelson and S/Sgt Genz continued to evade and returned to England in October.



Massachusetts



AM w/ Oak Leaf Cluster/ EAME w/ 1 star/ POW

Connections

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Units served with

The insignia of the 381st Bomb Group.

381st Bomb Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

William C Balentine

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 381st Bomb Group 532nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 34129005
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Radio Operator

Lloyd L Duke

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 381st Bomb Group 532nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-734658
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Bombardier

Raymond A Genz

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 381st Bomb Group 532nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 37268430
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: waist gunner

William Jeremiah Keays

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 381st Bomb Group 532nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-736866
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Navigator

Allen Porter Kellogg

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 381st Bomb Group 532nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 37198577
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner

Aircraft

A crashed B-17 Flying Fortress (VE-N, serial number 42-30020) of the 532nd Bomb Squadron, 381st Bomb Group, 6 September 1943. Handwritten caption on reverse: '1. 9/6/43 photo.'

42-30020

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Sweet Eloise
  • Unit: 381st Bomb Group 532nd Bomb Squadron

42-30140

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: King Malfunction II
  • Unit: 381st Bomb Group 532nd Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Stalag VII-A

  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag 7a, Moosburg

Stalag XVII-B

  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag 17b, Krems an der Donau, Austria

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

11 September 1917

Based

Prisoner of War (POW)

10 June 1943 - 17 August 1943 Arrived at Ridgewell on 10 June 1943 - 532d Squadron, 381st Bomb Group

Other

Prisoner of War

17 August 1943 Stalag VIIA Stalag XVIIB Stalag 2B per NARA

Died

19 February 1989

Revisions

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Contributorjmoore43
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Capitalized the words in the "Role/job" field to aid readability.

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Contributorjmoore43
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Added punctuation in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity.

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Contributorlewis505
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S/SGT Norman Whitman at Gunnery School - Tyndall Army Airfield - November 1942

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ContributorARowe95
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ARowe95

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ARowe95

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ARowe95

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Contributorlewis505
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MACR 379; personal recollections of nephew SGM Chris Lewis

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Contributorlewis505
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MACR 379

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ContributorAAM
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Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 379 / Nephew, Christopher G. Lewis; MACR 379, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop & Hey pp. 145,-242-3 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

Norman G Whitman: Gallery (2 items)

Object number: UPL 16127 - B-17F Ser.# 42-30140 "KING MALFUNCTION II" 532d...

Object number: UPL 16129 - S/Sgt Norman G. Whitman during training at Aerial...