Gasper A DeSimone
MilitaryAssigned to 755BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. Lt Neil Peters crew. 5 x combat missions. Survived ditching in B-24H 41-29331 'Blondie's Folly'; Mission to Friedrichshafen, 16-Mar-44; Forced to ditch in the Channel after fighters severely damaged A/C. Rescued by British floatplane after 90 minutes. Hospitalised by injuries. RTD. Later crewed the groups assembly ship B-24 'First Sergeant'.
Awards: WWII Victory, EAME.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 755th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18057125 / O-747178
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Big-Time Operator
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 755th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Blondie's Folly
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 755th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: - Bucket Of Bolts - First Sergeant
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 93rd Bomb Group 329th Bomb Squadron 330th Bomb Squadron 754th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
New York State | 30 March 1919 | |
Enlisted |
New York, NY | 29 July 1942 | New York City, New York |
Other Ditched |
English channel | 16 March 1944 | Survived ditching in B-24H 41-29331 'Blondie's Folly'; Mission to Friedrichshafen, 16-Mar-44; Forced to ditch in the Channel after fighters severely damaged A/C. Rescued by British floatplane after 90 minutes. |
Died |
Tempe, AZ | 30 October 1988 | |
Based |
Horsham St Faith | Assigned to 755BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. | |
Buried |
National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ | National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA Section 30 Site 44 |
Revisions
https://www.fold3.com/record/5517005-gasper-a-desimone
https://www.fold3.com/record/83585375-gasper-a-de-simone
https://www.fold3.com/record/625126632-gasper-desimone-1919
https://www.458bg.com/crew69peters.htm
https://www.458bg.com/stories-firstsergeant
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/180011380/gasper-a-desimone
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3490, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces