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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.
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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 |
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Son of Elias T and Mary Ann [Adacia] Abdella. |
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| Enlisted | Clarksburg, WV, USA | 1 June 1943 |
| Based | Great Ashfield | 1944 |
|
Assigned to 551BS, 385BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Died | Chauncey, OH, USA | 3 October 2015 |
| Buried | Ohio, USA | November 2015 |
|
No Burial |
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| 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/ |
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| 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 |
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