Donald Joseph Gott

Military ROLL OF HONOUR
media-16265.jpeg UPL 16265 Medal of Honor winner Lt. Donald Joseph Gott . 452nd Bomb Group collection

452nd Bomb Group Assoc,

Object Number - UPL 16265 - Medal of Honor winner Lt. Donald Joseph Gott .

Unsuccessfully attempted to crash land a crippled B-17 #42-97904 'Lady Jeannette' when he discovered that a crew member was too badly wounded to bail out with the rest of the crew. Co-pilot 2nd Lt. William Metzger also stayed with the aircraft and was awarded the MOH concurrently. Aircraft was destroyed in the crash and all three aboard died. The tail gunner, S/Sgt. Herman B Krimminger was hanging under the tail, as he had opened his parachute early, his parachute pulled him out of the B-17G. His parachute went over the tail plane and he fell under the tail to be trapped by the parachute shroud lines. He was torn apart as the bomber lowered into the Boise de Hattonville and left a debris trail 600 feet long. It did not dive, explode and then explode again as stated in MOH Citations. The wounded crewman was T/Sgt. Robert A Dunlap, radio operator.



MOH/ AM w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster

Connections

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Units served with

The insignia of the 452nd Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 452nd Bomb Group 729th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Navigator

Aircraft

A B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-97904) nicknamed "Lady Janette" of the 452nd Bomb Group drops bombs over the target. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Stuttgart 5 Sept 44. 452 BG Mott A/C.'
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Lady Jeannette
  • Unit: 452nd Bomb Group 729th Bomb Squadron

Missions

  • Date: 9 November 1944

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Arnett, Oklahoma 3 June 1923

Died

Hattonville, Department Of The Meuse, France 9 November 1944 On the 9th November 1944, they took off with their crew on a mission that would take them into the German heartland to bomb the marshalling yards at Saarbrucken. On the bomb run, the aircraft was badly hit by flak, three of the engines caught fire and were inoperable. The fires were so fierce that they were reaching the tail of the stricken aircraft. Further fires within the fuselage started when flares were ignited, and rapidly exploded. Hydraulic lines were severed and the liquid from within was jettisoned onto the burning fuselage. With communication lines cut and unable to contact the crew, both Gott and Metzger had some difficult decisions to make. They had not yet reached the target; the aircraft still held its bomb load and they were deep into occupied territory. The crew too had suffered badly at the hands of the anti-aircraft fire. The engineer was wounded in the leg and the radio operators arm was severed below the elbow causing great pain and loss of blood. He would die very quickly if medical help was not found. Despite the quick thinking and application of tourniquet by fellow crew members, he soon passed out and fell unconscious. Gott and Metzger decided that jettisoning the injured radio operator would not result in his receiving medical help and so they would drop the bombs and head for the nearest friendly territory where they could crash-land. Doing this, would risk not only the life of the operator, but that of the crew and themselves should the stricken aircraft explode. Over the target, they released their bombs and flew alone toward allied territory. Flying low over the village of Hattonville in France, the aircraft was seen to swerve avoiding a church and homes. At this point, Metzger personally crawled through the aircraft and instructed the crew to bail out. Three chutes were seen by local people, two fell to earth and the third became entangled on the stabilizer and was trapped. A further three were seen moments later, all these escaped. Metzger decided to remain with Gott and try to land the aircraft with the radio operator on board. With only one working engine, Gott and Metzger brought the aircraft down through a series of tight turns and at only 100 feet from safety the aircraft banked and exploded. Crashing to earth it again suffered a second explosion and disintegrated killing all three crew members on board and the crew member still attached to the tail. 1st Lieutenant Gott and his co-pilot 2nd Lieutenant Metzger had shown great courage and determination to complete their mission, and to save their crew from certain death. They had shown the greatest of valor in what was to be the final act of their short lives. Both men were killed on that day; November 9th 1944 aged 21 and 22 respectively. They were both posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on the 16th May 1945. [The actual MOH citations site the tail number of a B-25 that purportedly crashed 125 miles north of the Lady Jeanette. The reasons for this anomaly remain in dispute. See ‘The Last Flight of the Lady Jeanette’ by Willis S. Cole] Gott’s remains were returned to the United States and he was buried at the Harmon Cemetery, in Harmon, Ellis County, Oklahoma, USA. Metzger was returned to his home town and was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, Lima, Ohio. [It should be noted here that there is significant dispute as to the real location of the remains of Gott, Metsger, Dunlap, and Krimminger. See ‘The Last Flight of the Lady Jeanette’ by Willis S. Cole] Along with Gott and Metzger, crew members who did not survive were: T/Sgt Robert A, Dunlap and S/Sgt T.G. Herman B, Krimminger. The survivors were picked up by a a local field hospital and treated for their injuries: 2nd Lt John A, Harland; 2nd Lt Joseph F, Harms ; S/Sgt B.T. James O, Fross ; S/Sgt R.W. William R, Robbins and T/Sg T.T. Russell W Gustafson.

Buried

Harmon, Oklahoma Harmon Cemetery

Revisions

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Contributorjmoore43
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Corrected a typo in the "Summary biography".

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Contributorjmoore43
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Corrected the spelling of the A/C nickname in the "Summary biography".

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Contributorjmoore43
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Added middle name & burial location per Find-a-grave MEMORIAL ID 6403989.

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Contributorjmoore43
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Added middle name & burial location per Find-a-grave MEMORIAL ID 6403989.

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Contributormillebr
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ContributorWSamCole
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Willis S Cole, Jr. "The Last Flight Of the 'Lady Jeannette'" ISBN: 978-0-9662728-3-3 - "The Best Kept Secret Of World War Two!" ISBN: 978-0-9662728-1-9

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ContributorPete
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452nd Bomb Group Assoc.

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ContributorPete
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452nd Bomb Group Assoc.

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ContributorPete
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452nd Bomb Group Assoc.

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ContributorAAM
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Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Freeman, MOH Citation

Donald Joseph Gott: Gallery (4 items)