Roy Thomas Nalley

Military
media-30635.png UPL 30635 The B-17F JOHNNY REB JR. or II (41-24443) crew on the October 21, 1942 97th BG Mission #16.
Back row, from left to right :
1st Lt. Milton Marion “Milt” Stenstrom (Pilot), 1st Lt. Robert L. "Rob" Carlberg (Copilot), 1st Lt. Ewart Theodore "Sconnie" Sconiers (Bombardier), 1st Lt. Harold "Harry" "Shorty" Spire (Navigator).
Bottom Row, from left to right:
Sgt. James C. "Jim" Simmons (Tail Gunner), Sgt. Thomas C. "Tom" Calhoun (Waist Gunner), Staff Sgt. William A. "Bill" Adams (Radio Operator), Sgt. William E. "Bill" Schimke (Ball Turret Gunner), Sgt. John M. Hughes (Waist Gunner), Staff Sgt. Roy T. Nalley (Engineer / Top Turret Gunner).
(Photo courtesy of Fredrick Richard "Rick" Flack)

Updated by Fredrick Richard "Rick" Flack on July 29, 2020.

Object Number - UPL 30635 - The B-17F JOHNNY REB JR. or II (41-24443) crew on the October 21, 1942 97th BG Mission #16. Back row, from left to right : 1st Lt. Milton Marion...

Note : the 1930 US Census has his family's name wrongly spelled as Nally... This was corrected in the 1940 one > Nalley...



A Top Turret Gunner, Roy Nalley was shot down on 21 October 1942 in B-17 #41-24443, Prisoner of War (POW).

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

Ground personnel of the 97th Bomb Group reservice a B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-9023) nicknamed "Yankee Doodle", following the raid on Rouen. Image stamped on reverse: 'Associated Press.' [stamp], 'Passed for Publication 18 Aug 1942.' [stamp], 'Air=SER (Boeing).' [written annotation] and '216112.' [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: 'U.S FLYING FORTRESSES RAID ROUEN IN DAYLIGHT. Associated Press Photo Shows: No sooner had one of the huge Fortresses landed after the raid than ground crew im
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 97th Bomb Group 414th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 14030942
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Radio Operator
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 97th Bomb Group 414th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 34199059
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 97th Bomb Group 414th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-442752
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 97th Bomb Group 414th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 12036569
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 97th Bomb Group 414th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 16061443
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Johnny Reb II, Johnny Reb Jr
  • Unit: 97th Bomb Group 414th Bomb Squadron
A B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-9089) nicknamed "Johnny Reb" of the 92nd Bomb Group, formerly of the 97th Bomb Group takes off. Image stamped on reverse: 'New York Times Photo.' [stamp], 'Air (Boeing) FLY.' [annotation] and '219847.'[Censor no.] A printed caption was previously attached the the reverse however this has been lost. Handwritten caption on reverse: '4/9/42, marsh ground. Johnny Reb.'
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Johnny Reb
  • Unit: 97th Bomb Group 414th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Beech Grove, McLean County, Kentucky, United States 30 April 1920 the son of John Thomas Nalley and Lilian Clara (Coomes) Nalley

Other

Captured

Quimper, France 21 October 1942 after the ditching of B-17F 41-24443 off the coast of Brittany, France and being rescued by a French fishing boat which brought him and 8 other crew members to shore

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

21 October 1942 held at Stalag XVIIB, Braunau-Gneikendorf, near Krems, Austria. NARA WWII POW records : “Returned to Miltary Control (RMC) 12 June 1945.”

Enlisted

Camp Atterbury, Columbus, Indiana, United States 25 March 1946 Re-enlisted in the Air Corps

Died

Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky, United States 7 July 2009
District 5, Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky, United States

Enlisted

in the Air Corps
Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky, United States

Buried

Resurrection Cemetery, Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky, United States

Revisions

Date
ContributorDHD
Changes
Sources

identified by family members

Date
ContributorDHD
Changes
Sources

Roy Nalley was flight engineer on 41-9089 on its first mission 17 August as well as August 21st when he received the DFC.

Date
ContributorDHD
Changes
Sources

Roy Nalley was awarded the DFC on September 12th 1942 for acts on August 21st 1942. He along with Ewart Sconiers helped pilot Richard Starks to fly their damaged B-17 (41-9089 Johnny Reb) back to England after the co-pilot Donald Walter was killed. Per New York Times August 23rd and September 13th.

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.

Date
ContributorED-BB
Changes
Sources

US Censuses 1930 and 1940
NARA WWII POW Records
NARA WWII Enlistment Records
SSDI (Social Security Death Index)

Date
Changes
Sources

Merged with duplicate entry to include details from:
- Lee Cunningham 28-Oct-2014. "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Roll of Honor, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol 1, pp 38-39 by Bishop and Hey

Roy Thomas Nalley: Gallery (2 items)