Henry Arna Johnson
MilitaryAdded photo
A 1937 graduate of the Maine Township High School at Park Ridge, Illinois, Henry Johnson was a studio merchandise manager for the Montgomery Ward catalog company before enlisting in the Air Corps in December 1942. Trained in advanced flying at Freeman Field in Seymour, Indiana, he received his pilot's wings in May 1944. Assigned to the 493rd Bomb Group's 860th Bomb Squadron, he arrived at Debach, England in October 1944. He flew on B-17 #43-38198 which he first named "$1.98" ("Dollar Ninety-Eight") and, with the agreement of his crew, renamed it into "Nancy Lee" for his baby daughter. After flying 23 missions, he went back to the United States, working in the merchandising business, becoming manager of the Spiegel, Inc catalog company from 1976 to 1986.
Connections
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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
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: $1.98, Nancy Lee
- Unit: 493rd Bomb Group 860th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Chicago, Illinois | 26 March 1919 | |
Enlisted |
Chicago, Illinois, United States | 7 December 1942 | as a Private in the Air Corps |
Died |
Bonita Springs, Florida, United States | 22 February 2013 | |
Park Ridge, Illinois, United States | |||
Buried |
Greenwood Cemetery, Galena, Illinois, United States |
Revisions
NARA WWII Enlistment records
www.idaillinois.org
"8th AF News" June 2016 article by his son Martin.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Unit History, http://493bgdebach.co.uk/roster_list.php