Henry Cecil Griffis

Military

Captain Henry Griffis was Radar Navigator on the Merseburg mission of 20 July 1944, on board B-17 #42-97564. Hit by Flak, the plane made a forced landing between Chaam and Baarle-Hertog, South of Tilburg, The Netherlands. Evaded (EVD). See the details about his evasion at http://www.evasioncomete.be/fgriffihc.html

Connections

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Units served with

418th Bomb Squadron

Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
Air Force: Eighth Air Force
Type Category: Bombardment

People

Louis Hyman Abromowitz

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 100th Bomb Group 418th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 13081083 at enlistment, then O-814034
Highest Rank: Lieutenant
Role/Job: Navigator

George Edward Bonitz

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 418th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: O-694318
Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
Role/Job: Navigator

Daniel Martin Cargile

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 100th Bomb Group 418th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 38372191
Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
Role/Job: Waist Gunner

Robert David Chavez

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 418th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 39559984
Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
Role/Job: Tail Gunner

Daniel Barnette Deason

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 418th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 15335693
Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner; Engineer

Aircraft

42-97564

Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
Nicknames: Belle of Berlin
Unit: 100th Bomb Group 418th Bomb Squadron

Missions

B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 351st Bomb Group, including (RQ-P, serial number 42-97193) and (serial number 43-37920) fly through flak bursts during a mission. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Thoison '557' took pic 20/7/44. Star Duster DS-L MIA 6/8/44.'

484

Date: 20 July 1944

Places

Thorpe Abbotts

Site type: Airfield

Events

Event	Date	Description
Born	26 August 1924	Louisiana
Enlisted	5 October 1942	as a Private in the Air Corps at Brookley Field, Mobile, Alabama
Other Force-landed	20 July 1944	in B-17 42-97564, between Chaam and Baarle-Hertog, South of Tilburg, Noord-Brabant Province, The Netherlands
Other Evaded (EVD)	20 July 1944	Helped by Dutch and Belgian citizens and members of the Résistance, he was ultimately hidden in a secret camp in the Belgian Ardennes until liberation by US troops at the beginning of September 1944. He was back in the UK on 11 September and rejoined his unit
Died	30 June 1974	California
		Dallas, Texas

Revisions

Date18 May 2021 09:05:56

ContributorED-BB

Changes

Sources

Updated website address in Bio

Date18 Feb 2019 15:00:19

ContributorED-BB

Changes

Sources

MACR 7414
NARA WWII Enlistment records
Escape & Evasion Report E&E 2001
Research for his page at http://www.evasioncomete.org/fgriffihc.html

Date27 Sep 2014 18:12:38

ContributorAAM

Changes

Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 7414 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database