Richard Fred Henry Wessel
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
Ww2 photography
Object Number - UPL 66316 - This is the b-17 crew that occupied this b-17 on its last mission. The man standing in the far back is Richard “Dick” Wessel. One of two men to...
Assigned to 850BS, 490BG, 8AF USAAF. Davis crew. Local flights 18-Aug-44 in 43-38072; port U/C collapsed on third landing, RTD. 5 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Ludwigshaven in B-17 43-38009, crashed at Hochheim on 13-Sep-44, Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 8855
At the point of the direct hit, was pinned in nose and then thrown out by centrifugal force, descended to earth secured by only one of the two chute harness clips.
Awards: PH, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
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: 490th Bomb Group 850th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-757610
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
Missions
- Date: 13 September 1944
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Marsworth
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Dulag Luft Grosstychow Dulag 12
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Brome
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Stalag Luft I, Barth, Germany
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Seymour, Indiana | 29 October 1922 | Son of Virgil and Bertha [Redicker] Wessel. |
|
Enlisted |
Louisville, KY | 4 January 1943 | Louisville, Kentucky |
|
Other Baled out POW |
Hochheim, Germany | 13 September 1944 | Failed to Return (FTR) Ludwigshaven in B-17 43-38009, crashed at Hochheim on 13-Sep-44, POW MACR 8855 |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Barth, Germany | 13 September 1944 | Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft I. |
|
Died |
19 December 2015 | ||
|
Buried |
Saint Paul Lutheran Cemetery, Jackson County, IN | 22 December 2015 | Saint Paul Lutheran Cemetery Jackson County, Indiana, USA |
|
Based |
Eye | 13 September 1944 | Assigned to 850BS, 490BG, 8AF USAAF. |
Revisions
It is the news article that covered the discovery of Richard Wessel’s survival.
This is the flight crew that ran this plane on it’s final mission. My Great Grand father is Richard Wessel standing in the back. One of two initial survivors of the plane crash
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 8855
