Emory Thurman Kesterson
MilitaryEmory Kesterson was Tail Gunner on B-17 #42-31565, shot down by Flak immediately after bombs away on a mission to Berlin on 4 March 1944 and crashed SE of Mons, Belgium.
Initially evaded, he was arrested on 3 June 1944 in France. Prisoner of War (POW).
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 95th Bomb Group 335th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 16044786 and O-682089
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 95th Bomb Group 335th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 33305496
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 95th Bomb Group 335th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 32294218 and O-692337
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 95th Bomb Group 335th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39031820
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 95th Bomb Group 335th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 16056598 and O-747321
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Lassie Come Home
- Unit: 95th Bomb Group 335th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 4 March 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Carter County, Oklahoma, United States | 25 May 1919 | |
|
Enlisted |
Dallas, Texas, United States | 5 December 1941 | |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Gross Tychow (Tychowo), Poland | 4 March 1944 - 24 May 1945 | Initially helped by French citizens in his evasion, Emory Kesterson was captured on 3 June 1944 at 16h20 in Berzy-le-Sec, 5km South of Soissons, France, by a French railroad worker, Nicolas Hahn. The German report of arrest mentions that Kesterson was kept in the Luftwaffe camp in Soissons and was very badly in need of medical help. He was later interned at Stalag Luft 4 in Poland. |
|
Died |
Longview, Gregg County, Texas, United States | 8 August 1990 | |
|
Buried |
Memory Park Cemetery, Longview, Texas, United States |
Revisions
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2795 / MACR 2795, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database