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Military
Shot down 8 March 1943 in B-24D 41-23784 [NB:R] 'Miss Dianne', 44BG/67BS while serving as Ball Turret Gunner. The aircraft was attacked and shot down by German fighters near Villers-Ecalles, France while on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rouen, France. According to Lundy p. 57 Devars and crew mate Wyer were able to evade a day or two before capture. Devars had been injured in the attacks on 'Miss Diane'
POW
Group
The 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated 15-January-1942 at McDill Field, Florida and equipped with B-24Cs. The Group moved to Barksdale Field, Louisiana and acted as a training unit for the 90th 93rd and 98th Bomb Groups and flew anti...
Squadron
B-24 Liberator
B-24D-5-CO 41-23784 [NB:R] "Miss Dianne" was assigned to the 44BG/47BS. On 8-Mar-1943 the aircraft was despatched on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rouen, France. The aircraft sustained significant damage from German fighters near...
8 March 1943
The railroad marshalling yards at Rennes and Rouen, France are the primary targets for this mission. A formation comprised of 67 B-17s: 91BG (14); 303BG (19); 305BG (16) and 306BG (18) is despatched to bomb at Rennes. Conditions are good with no cloud...
Military site : airfield
Shipdham was built in 1941-1942, the first US heavy bomber airfield in the English county of Norfolk. It was a standard design, with T2-type hangars and a domestic site dispersed to the south east. Improvements were carried out to increase the number...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Orleans, Nebraska | |
| Prisoner of War (POW) | Krems an der Donau, Austria | 8 March 1943 – 8 June 1945 |
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Held at Stalag 17B, Braunau-Gneikendorf (near Krems), Austria. Officially Returned to Military Control (RMC) 8-Jun-45. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 31 July 2015 20:20:58 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to role, biography, awards, events, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 31-Jul-2015. Added Decortations and POW event per National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW database; Edited Summary Biography with A/C model letter, Radio Call Letters and Unit association, added loss detail and target based on "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces", Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE and MACR 15570 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:07:12 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 15570 / MACR 15570, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol I by Bishop and Hey p.89, 44th BG Roll of Honor and Casualties pp. 56-7 by Lundy Shot down 8 March 1943 in B-24 #4123784 'Miss Dianne.' / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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