Following recent government announcements the museum is currently closed, there is plenty to explore in our online archive.
The American Air Museum is a charity - Find out how you can support us
Military
Assigned to 551BS, 385BG, 8AF USAAF. 24 x missions. On 10 Nov '44 while circling over base to form up for a mission, the plane 'War Horse' developed an oil leak. The engine caught fire and then the plane caught fire. All the crew bailed out but the plane tipped over into a spiral before the pilot could get out. The pilot was the only member killed.
Awards: PH, WWII Victory, EAME.
Photo: - https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/find-a-grave-prod/photos/2015/275/153...
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 385th Bomb Group
On 10 Nov '44 while circling over base to form up for a mission, the plane 'War Horse' developed an oil leak. The engine caught fire and then the plane caught fire. All the crew bailed out but the plane tipped over into a spiral before the pilot could...
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
...
Group
The 385th Bomb Group, who took the nickname "Van's Valiants" after their first Commanding Officer Col. Elliot Vandevanter, flew B-17s from Great Ashfield, Suffolk. The Group led the famous attack on the Focke-Wolfe aircraft factory at Marienburg on 9...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 12/12/43; Gt Falls 17/12/43; Denver 19/12/43; Kearney 31/12/43; Presque Is 24/1/44; Assigned 549BS/385BG [XA-R] Gt Ashfield 22/4/44; 551BS; on return from mission 10/11/44 with Art Naylor (Killed in Action); Co-pilot: Carl Cunningham...
Military site : airfield
The airfield was built in 1942 by John Laing & Son Ltd. 108,000 tons of concrete was used in its construction, creating a Class 'A' airfield suitable for heavy bombers. The 385th Bomb Group took up residence in the summer of 1943, and remained at the...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Chauncey, OH, USA | 10 February 1925 |
|
Son of Elias T and Mary Ann [Adacia] Abdella. |
||
| Enlisted | Clarksburg, WV, USA | 1 June 1943 |
| Based | Great Ashfield | 1944 |
|
Assigned to 551BS, 385BG, 8AF USAAF. |
||
| Died | Chauncey, OH, USA | 3 October 2015 |
| Buried | Ohio, USA | November 2015 |
|
No Burial |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 26 April 2017 17:25:30 | Al_Skiff | Changes to service number, biography, awards, events, person associations, unit associations, place associations and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/page/89187318_francis_j%20abdella/details/ |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:09:47 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR |
||
