Bruce George Sundlun
Military
Ammended spelling of names, people associations and aircraft, based on information at https://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/person.php?PersonKey=5229
Object Number - UPL 32770 - LtR: T/Sgt William Ramsey (POW), S/Sgt Mike Cappelletti (KIA), S/Sgt George Hayes (KIA) Lt Bruce Sundlun (Escaped), Lt Zitnik(only on this 10th...
Assigned to 545th 384BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Solingen. Shot down 1-Dec-43 in B-17 41-24557 'Damn Yankees'. Evaded (EVD).
Awards: DFC, AM (2 OLC), PH, WWII Victory, AP, EAME.
Post War: Remained with the USAF Reserve and retired in 1980 at the rank of Colonel. Member of the Democratic Party who served as 71st Governor of Rhode Island between 1991 and 1995.
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: 545th Bomb Squadron 384th Bomb Group
- Service Numbers: 11062987 / O-797681
- Highest Rank: Major
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 545th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39190019
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: waist gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 545th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 35586469
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 545th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 34302617
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Bombardier, Enlisted, Nose Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 545th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 20156976 / O-735874
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Damn Yankee
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 545th Bomb Squadron 306th Bomb Group 423rd Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Grafton Undermud
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Providence, Rhode Island, USA | 19 January 1920 | Son of Walter Irving and Jennette Zelda 'Jan' [Colitz] Sundlun. |
|
Enlisted |
57 Patriot Ave, Chicopee, MA 01022, USA | 8 December 1941 | Westover AAF, Mmassachusetts. |
|
Other Evaded (EVD) |
20 miles SE of Ostend, Belgium | 1 December 1943 - 5 May 1944 | |
|
Died |
Jamestown, RI, USA | 21 July 2011 | |
|
Buried |
Sons of David and Israel Cemetery Providence, Providence County, RI | Sons of David and Israel Cemetery Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island | |
|
Based |
Grafton Underwood | 1 December 1943 | Assigned to 545th 384BG, 8AF USAAF. |
|
Other Pilot training |
Kelly St, Montgomery, AL 36112, USA | Operational training - Maxwell Field, Alabama. | |
|
Other Pilot training |
Orangeburg, SC, USA | Flight training Advanced - USAAC Southeast Training Center Orangeburg, South Carolina. | |
|
Other Pilot training |
Mid Delta Regional Airport, 166 5th St, Greenville, MS 38703, USA | Flight training Basic - Greenville Army Air Field Greenville, Mississippi. | |
|
Other Pilot training |
Lawrenceville, IL 62439, USA | Flight training Primary - George Field Lawrenceville, Illinois. |
Revisions
Removed redundant info from Buried event.
Added some punctuation in the "Summary biography" to aid readability.
Updated the highest rank per info in the "Summary biography" .
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 1334 / MACR 1334, Self, obit Washington Post July 30, 2011, http://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/PersonnelSearch.php?LastName=… / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database