Orson E Pacey
Military(Back L-R)
1st Lt Lawrence G Dunnica (Pilot), 2nd Lt Orson E Pacey (CoPilot), 1st Lt Leonard E Thornton (Nav), 2nd Lt James H Montgomery (Bomb
(Front L-R)
T/Sgt Harry W Tucker (Eng), S/Sgt Philip T Cascio (Ball), T/Sgt Bertis W Holland (Radio), S/Sgt Robert L Dew (R Waist), S/Sgt Claude F Taylor (Tail).
2LT Orson E. Pacey was assigned as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 [VK-B] "Spook", 303BG/358BS with the Lawrence G. Dunnica crew on 3-Sep-42 at Kellog Field, Battle Creek Michigan. He arrived at Molesworth, UK with the aircraft on 24-Oct-42. He participated in 8 Operations - 3 Aborted with B-17F 41-24541 and 1 Recalled operation with B-17F 41-24577 "Hell's Angles" on 2-Feb-43. (See Biography events).
Prisoner of War (POW). Shot down 16-February 1943 in B-17F 41-24541 [VK-B] 'Spook' while serving as Co-Pilot. Aircraft was attacked by ME 109s when it descended to assist another aircraft. Went down in Channel off the Brest Peninsula. The target was the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. 4 crew members survived to become Prisoner of War (POW)s
POW
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
Aircraft
Missions
- Date: 20 December 1942
- Date: 12 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 6 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 22 November 1942
- Official Description:
Places
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Chalmers, Indiana | 29 March 1905 | |
Other Assigned to Aircraft |
Battle Creek, MI, USA | 3 September 1942 | Assigned as Co-Pilot with Dunninca crew on B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS at Kellog Field, Battle Creek, Michigan. |
Other Arrived at Station |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 24 October 1942 | Arrived at Molesworth with B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on 24-Oct-42. |
Other Mission #1 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Lorient, France | 22 November 1942 | erved as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. (RTB OK) |
Other Mission #2 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Lille, France | 6 December 1942 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the carriage and wagon works at Lille, France (RTB OK) |
Other Mission #3 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Rouen, France | 12 December 1942 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rouen, France, but mechanical failures forced the pilot to abort the mission. |
Other Mission #4 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Romilly-sur-Seine, France | 20 December 1942 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the German air depot at Romilly-sur-Seine, France. (RTB OK) |
Other Mission #5 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Lorient, France | 30 December 1942 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France, but mechanical failures forced the Pilot to abort the mission. (RTB OK) |
Other Mission #6 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Lille, France | 13 January 1943 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the Five Company Locomotive Works at Lillie, France. (RTB OK) |
Other Mission #7 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24577, 303BG/358BS -Aborted |
Hamm, Germany | 2 February 1943 | Served as Co-Pilot on B-17F 41-24577 "Hell's Angels", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bom the railroad marshalling yeards at Hamm, Germany, but mechanical failures forced the Pilot to abort the mission (RTB OK). |
Other Mission #8 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS -Aborted |
Hamm, Germany | 14 February 1943 | erved as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany, but weather caused the entire 303BG despatch to be recalled (RTB OK) |
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
English Channel | 16 February 1943 - 5 June 1945 | Held at Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia (now Poland) Moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser. Officially Returned to Military Control (RMC) 5-Jun-45. |
Other Mission #9 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS POW |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 16 February 1943 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. The aircraft was shot down near Brest. He baled oout and was captured as a Prisoner of War (POW). |
Revisions
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #8 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 14-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/015.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 13-Jan-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/010.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 30-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/008.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 20-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/007.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 12-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/006.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-AUg-2015. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 6-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-AUg-2015. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 22-Nov-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/003.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Assigned to Crew and Arrival at Station events per 303BG website Lawrence Dunnnica crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-358-dunnica.html; Made connections to Aircraft at Missions per 303BG webite Mission Reports, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missions.html
Lee Cunningham 19-Feb-2015 . Corrected SN per MACR 15476; Added POW event per National Archives REcords Administration (NARA) WWII database; Made connections to Place and Mission and added decorations within existing website data; Added crew position and minor edits to Biography based on "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 15476 / MACR 15476, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop and Hey p. 77, NARA web site, Might in Flight Daily Diary of Hell's Angels by Harry Gobrect pp. 137-8 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database