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Military
Parker W. Finney approx. late 1943 or early 1944.
Parker W. Finney POW ID card. Probably issued at Stalag Luft III.
This is my father's (Parker W. Finney) book from Pre-flight training at Maxwell Air Base, Alabama from May 1943. Pages 18-19
This is my father's (Parker W. Finney) book from Pre-flight training at Maxwell Air Base, Alabama from May 1943. Pages 16-17.
Pre-flight training book from May 1943 at Maxwell Air Base, Alabama. Pages 14-15
This is my father's (Parker W. Finney) book that describes pre-flight training for pilots at Maxwell Field, Alabama, in approximately May 1943. Pages 11-13
preflight training may 1943. page 10
Pre-flight training for pilots at Maxwell Field, Alabama, in approximately May 1943. Pages 8-9
Pre-flight training May 1943 at Maxwell Air Base, Alabama. Pages 2-7.
From Parker Finney's POW Diary. Stalag III August 30 1944 to Jan 27 1945. Stamlager VIIA Moosberg Germany Feb 3 1945 to May 9 1945
Prisoner of War (POW) Shot down by fighters and crashed at Brockhoefe on 8/24/44 in B-17 Down N' Go
POW
Military | Staff Sergeant | Bombardier, Enlisted, Left Waist Gunner; Nose Gunner, Togglier | 401st Bomb Group
He flew on W. G. Rozzell's crew. Flew on B-17 'Rosie's Sweat Box'. Completed 31 missions from 30 May 1944 to 09 August 1944. Prisoner of War (POW) Shot down by fighters and crashed at Brockhoefe on 8/24/44 in B-17 "Down N' Go" #42-102394. He was shot...
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 401st Bomb Group
Missions: 1944 - Jul 31 Munich; Aug 1 Chartres; 3 Strasbourg; 4 Aliclam; 9 Luxembourg; 14 Haguenau; 25 Peenemunde; Sep 11 Merseburg; 17 Gordesbeek; 19 Hamm; 28 Magdeburg; Oct 3 Nurnberg; 14 Cologne; 15 Cologne; 17 Cologne; 19 Mannheim; Nov 25 Merseburg...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 490th Bomb Group
Prisoner of War (POW)
Member of Stover crew
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Prisoner of War (POW) Shot down by fighters and crashed at Brockhoefe on 8/24/44 in B-17 Down N' Go #42102394
According to Parker Finney's records shot down one Fock-Wulf on the last mission before the crew had to bail out.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) Shot down by fighters and crashed at Brockhoefe in B-17 Down N' Go #42102394
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Prisoner of War (POW) Shot down by fighters and crashed at Brockhoefe on 8/24/44 in B-17 Down N' Go #42102394
Military | Flight Officer | Co-Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
Prisoner of War (POW) Shot down by fighters and crashed at Brockhoefe on 8/24/44 in B-17 'Down N' Go' #42-102394
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator and bombadier | 401st Bomb Group
Prisoner of War (POW) Shot down by fighters and crashed at Brockhoefe on 8/24/44 in B-17 Down N' Go #42102394
POW
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 401st Bomb Group
Shot down by fighters and crashed at Brockhoefe in B-17 "Down N' Go" #42-102394, Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner/ Engineer | 401st Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) Shot down by fighters and crashed at Brockhoefe in B-17 Down N' Go #42102394
...
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 401st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Deenethorpe, Northamptonshire, from November 1943 to June 1945. Starting their missions at that time meant the focus was very much on the coming invasion attempt of France planned for the following...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 27/2/44; Kearney 15/3/44; Dow Fd 4/4/44; Assigned 614BS/401BG [IW-C] Deenethorpe 16/4/44; Missing in Action Merseburg 24/8/44 with Parker Finney, Co-pilot: Virgil Price, Navigator: Dale Scott, tog-Brown Bralley, Waist gunner: Burton...
24 August 1944
Down N Go participated in mission number 132 which was a bombing mission over Weimar.
Military site : airfield
Deenethorpe was a base purpose-built for American heavy bombers, with the Class A regulation 2,000 and 1,400-yard runways. All the buildings on site,such as the accommodation and administrative blocks, were temporary. In December 1943, several local...
Other location
Other location
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Youngstown, OH, USA | 23 January 1921 |
| Flight Training Spring 1944 | 1 May 1944 | |
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Flight training with most of the same crew that went on the last flight. In those days they tried to keep the crew together all of the way through training and when they went overseas. Other names in the 1944 picture are Snyder, Miller, Duling, Campbell, Smith, Hill, Brown, Price and Scott. |
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| Lived in | Pittsburgh, PA, USA | 31 July 1981 |
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Grew up in Swissvale, PA. Went to Penn State. Joined in 43. Returned to Pittsburgh, PA after the war and lived in Edgewood, PA. Died July 31, 1981 in Phoenix AZ |
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| Died | Phoenix, AZ, USA | 31 July 1981 |
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Retired and was on a road trip across country. Died of a heart attack. |
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| Buried | Slippery Rock, PA 16057, USA | 10 August 1981 |
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Cremated. Ashes scattered at his cottage in Slippery Rock, PA. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 22 June 2018 23:05:44 | cfinney | Changes to media associations |
| Sources | ||
From Parker Finney's POW Diary. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 22 June 2018 22:56:48 | cfinney | Changes to place associations |
| Sources | ||
From Parker Finney's POW diary. Stalag III, Sagan Germany August 30 1944 to Jan 27 1945. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 22 June 2018 06:37:07 | cfinney | Changes to media associations |
| Sources | ||
Parker Finney's POW diary. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 16 June 2018 07:33:10 | cfinney | Changes to media associations |
| Sources | ||
From my dad's collection. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 June 2018 08:04:36 | cfinney | Changes to media associations |
| Sources | ||
From my dad's files |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 June 2018 07:20:08 | cfinney | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
According to my dad: "...crew list shows a Lt. J.D. Brown in my crew. John was originally my navigator, but because he was a good navigator, he was taken from me and assigned to a lead crew. He was not flying with me the day I was shot down and he did finish his missions." |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 May 2017 07:27:01 | cfinney | Changes to awards |
| Sources | ||
From his son. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 May 2017 07:25:29 | cfinney | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
From his son. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 May 2017 07:18:01 | cfinney | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
From Parker Finney's records |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 May 2017 07:13:33 | cfinney | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
From Parker Finney's son. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 May 2017 07:10:19 | cfinney | Changes to media associations |
| Sources | ||
His son. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 May 2017 07:05:59 | cfinney | Changes to media associations |
| Sources | ||
From his son. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 May 2017 07:00:24 | cfinney | Changes to media associations |
| Sources | ||
His son. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 May 2017 07:25:04 | cfinney | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
From his son. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 May 2017 07:22:36 | cfinney | Changes to unit associations |
| Sources | ||
Existing documentation |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 May 2017 07:20:54 | cfinney | Changes to nickname |
| Sources | ||
From his son. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 10 March 2017 03:30:40 | cfinney | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
From my father's (Parker Finney) records. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 March 2017 19:31:23 | cfinney | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
Sgt W. J. Duling was the tail gunner on my father's (Parker Finney) last mission. From my dad's records: "My tail gunner, Sgt. Duling, did advise me later on the ground that he had destroyed at least one of the Fock-Wulfes that blew up as it was approaching his tail. This was later confirmed for me by a fellow member of the 614th Bomb Squadron who was shot down months later and advised me that he had watched me go down and had seen the destruction of the one aircraft. So far as I know, no official note of this was made in Army records." |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 March 2017 05:32:32 | cfinney | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
From my father's (Parker Finney) records. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 March 2017 03:47:57 | cfinney | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
From my father's (Parker Finney) file. In his records his listed as F/O which I believe is flight officer. Middle initial I believe is G. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 March 2017 03:41:49 | cfinney | Changes to awards |
| Sources | ||
Found in a letter from my father. The Air Medal was sent to his wife in March of 1945. At that time he was in prison camp since he was shot down on Aug 24, 1944. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 04 March 2017 02:26:46 | cfinney | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
From son. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 04 March 2017 02:17:26 | cfinney | Changes to highest rank |
| Sources | ||
From son. According to my dad he was promoted to First Lieutenant the day prior to his last flight but did not know it. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 04 March 2017 02:11:19 | cfinney | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
From son of Parker Finney, pilot of last flight for Flight Officer Dale Scott. Scott was a bombardier but was at the navigator's table because of a shortage of men in that trade. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 04 March 2017 01:56:04 | cfinney | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
From son of Parker Finney who was the pilot on Hill's last mission |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 04 March 2017 01:39:49 | cfinney | Changes to middlename |
| Sources | ||
Son. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 04 March 2017 01:27:59 | cfinney | Changes to service number |
| Sources | ||
Son. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 04 March 2017 01:26:28 | cfinney | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Son. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:21:01 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 8202 / MACR 8202, http://www.401bg.org/Main/History/Members/Details.aspx?ID=208 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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