Samuel S Weiser

Military ROLL OF HONOUR

On January 3, 1943 while serving as Ball Turret Gunner B-24D #41-23808 'Texan' the aircraft crashed in a field near Aberporth airfield, Cardiganshire, returning from target U/B yards (submarine) at St. Nazaire, France. Fuel shortage caused the crash. 11RTD No MACR issued.



Shot down 15 February 1943 in B-24D #41-23783 'Betty Anne' while serving as Radio Operator Aircraft sustained severe damage from flak while bombing the port area of Dunkirk, France and crashed into the English Channel. Killed in Action (KIA).



NOTE: Entry COMBINES data from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / http://8thairforce.com/44thbg/search/perlastname.asp.

Connections

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

Units served with

The insignia of the 44th Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment
The 'semiofficial' insignia of the 44th Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Betty Anne
  • Unit: 44th Bomb Group 67th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: - Texan
  • Unit: 44th Bomb Group 67th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Returned to Duty (RTD)

Aberporth, Ceredigion, UK 3 January 1943 On 3-Jan-43 while serving as Ball Turret Gunner on B-24D 41-23808 'Texan' the aircraft crashed into a field near Aberporth airfield, Cardiganshire when it ran out of fuel upon return from a mission to St. Nazaire, France. He was uninjured and Returned to Duty (RTD)

Other

Killed in Action (KIA)

Dunkirk, France 15 February 1943 Killed when aircraft was severely damaged by flak over the target of Dunkirk, France and crashed into the sea near the target.

Buried

16 February 1943 No burial record has been located. It is possible that this airman was buried in the cemetery at Pihen-les-Guines, France along with those of Waist Gunner Sgt James A. Hilley but the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) has no record that his remains were ever interred in an American cemetery in Europe and neither does his name does not appear on any Wall of the Missing. Samuel S. Weiser is either buried or has a cenotaph at the Beth Israel Cemetery in Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA.  The date of death is noted as 15 February 1945 rather than 1943.  Findagrave memorial ID is 128828794. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/128828794/samuel-s-weiser       

Born

Brooklyn, New York

Revisions

Date
Contributormargaret8383
Changes
Sources

A brief story about the life of T/S Weiser was created through the Stories Behind the Stars project (www.storiesbehindthestars.org). Volunteers are making an effort to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen. https://www.fold3.com/memorial/657808436/weiser-samuel-tsgt/stories

 

Date
Contributormargaret8383
Changes
Sources

See previous note.

Date
Contributormargaret8383
Changes
Sources

I made an addition to the burial/final resting place information. I am a volunteer with Stories Behind the Stars and I am researching the men who lost their lives when the Betty Anne went down on 15 February 1943. The U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans found through ancestry.com documents the location. I could not find a note that the remains were removed following the war so this may be a cenotaph. The headstone application notes that he received a Purple Heart, Air Medal, Oak Leaf Cluster to Air Medal.   

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

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

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 31-Jan-2015. All data added per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A Hey MBE. Neither A?C was documented with a MACR. Combined data from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / http://8thairforce.com/44thbg/search/perlastname.asp.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 30-Jan-2015. Corrected middle initial

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 30-Jan-2015. Added SN per website data of B-24D 41-23808 DBR 3-Jan-43; Added KIA event, Burial event and crew position to Description per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE; made connections to Place, Aircraft and Mission within existing website data.

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 and 9th Air Forces Vol. 1 by Bishop and Hey pp. 61-62,76 44th BG Roll of Honor and Casualties by Lundy pp. 41, 50, The 44th BG in WWII by MacKay and Adams pp.27, 31.