George Joseph Lesko | American Air Museum in Britain

Sgt George J Lesko, 384BG

Show caption About this image

Assigned to 547BS, 384BG, 8AF USAAF. Chas Shuff crew. 19 x combat missions. Severely wounded by flak on 22-Mar-45 returning from a mission to Westerholt, Germany in B-17 43-38630. Despite the pilot electing to land in Belgium to get assistance for George, pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. Killed in Action (KIA).

Awards: PH.

Service

People

Robert Alderman

Military | 384th Bomb Group
Robert Birney

Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator, Commanding Officer | 384th Bomb Group
Bob Birney was assigned to the 547th Bomb Squadron on 5 February 1945 and completed 26 missions between 19 February 1945 and 20 April 1945.
Joseph Britton

Military | 384th Bomb Group
Assigned to 547BS, 384BG, 8AF USAAF. ETD Awards: AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
George Cramer

Military | Major | Ball turret gunner | 384th Bomb Group
Assigned to 547BS, 384BG, 8AF USAAF. Chas Shuff crew. 23 x combat missions. ETD Awards: AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Erwin Harrison

Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 384th Bomb Group
Assigned to 547BS, 384BG, 8AF USAAF. Chas Shuff crew. 22 x combat missions. ETD Awards: AM (2OLC), GC, WWII Victory, EAME.
Bernard Henricks

Military | Staff Sergeant | Flight engineer / Top turret | 384th Bomb Group
Assigned 547BS, 384BG, 8AF USAAF. Chas Shuff crew. 23 x combat missions. ETD Awards: AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Charles Shuff

Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot, Commanding Officer | 384th Bomb Group
Oril Swieso

Military | 384th Bomb Group
William White

Military | 384th Bomb Group

Units served with

8th Air Force

Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945. ...
384th Bomb Group

Group
The 384th Bomb Group flew B-17s from Grafton Underwood, Northamptonshire, between May 1943 and June 1945. They were engaged in daylight bombing missions over Germany as part of the Allies' efforts to destroy the effectiveness of the Luftwaffe by...
547th Bomb Squadron

Squadron

Aircraft

42-38013 "NEVADA AVENGER"

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 26/11/43; New Castle 10/12/43; Presque Is 15/12/43; Assigned 547BS/384BG [SO-C] Grafton Underwood 21/1/44; sal battle damaged 27/4/44. NEVADA AVENGER. ...
43-38630

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 27/8/44; Hunter 17/9/44; Grenier 27/8/44; Assigned 547BS/384BG [SO-G] Grafton Underwood 7/10/44; Salvaged 13/6/45.(22/3/45?)

Missions

8th Air Force 906

22 March 1945

Associated Place

Grafton Underwood

Military site : airfield
Grafton Underwood was built in 1941 by George Wimpey and Co. Ltd. It was the first airfield in England to receive an Eighth Air Force flying unit, when in May 1942 personnel of the 15th Bomb Squadron took up residence. As a satellite airfield for...
Arlington National Cemetery

Cemetery

Events

Event	Location	Date
Born	Francis Mine,, PA	8 October 1923
Son of Joe and Mary [Murdock] Lesko.
Enlisted	Pittsburgh, PA	28 May 1943
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Based	Grafton Underwood	February 1945 – 22 March 1945
Assigned to 547BS, 384BG, 8AF USAAF.
Died	Zoute, 8300 Knokke-Heist, Belgium	22 March 1945
SGT Lesko was severely wounded by flak on 22 March 1945 returning from a mission to Westerholt, Germany. The aircraft, 43-38630 was badly damaged and The Pilot, Charles B. Shuff, elected to land at Knocke/Le Zoute, Belgium (A-83) to seek aid for Lesko. The aircraft crash landed and burned at A-83. The crew was able to evacuate the aircraft with Lesko. Lesko was pronounced dead at the local hospital. The remaining crew survived and returned to duty at Grafton Underwood.
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery	1948
Re-Interred Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia

Date	Contributor	Update
22 July 2020 13:52:14	Al_Skiff	Changes to middlename, role, biography, awards, events, unit associations and place associations
Sources
https://www.fold3.com/image/543530906 https://www.fold3.com/image/310763999 https://www.fold3.com/record/87352379-george-j-lesko https://www.fold3.com/record/700219268-lesko-george-j https://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/person.php?PersonKey=6951 https://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/SortieReport.php?SortieKey=10485 https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49246964/george-j-lesko
Date	Contributor	Update
17 January 2015 03:45:19	bombercommand	Changes to biography and person associations
Sources
384thbombgroup.com
Date	Contributor	Update
17 January 2015 03:31:49	bombercommand	Changes to events
Sources
384thbombgroup.com
Date	Contributor	Update
17 January 2015 03:30:22	bombercommand	Changes to service number, highest rank, role, events, unit associations, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations
Sources
384thbombgroup.com
Date	Contributor	Update
27 September 2014 18:10:59	AAM	AAM ingest
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / http://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/PersonnelSearch.php?LastName=l...