Howard W Hobbs
MilitaryCharles D Taylor collection
"Iowans of the Mighty Eighth", Chapter 22 "Biographies", by Charles D Taylor.
Howard worked for Lockheed Aircraft before the war and was inducted in November 1942. After training he and his crew flew a B-17 across the Atlantic via North Africa to join the Group at Snetterton Heath. On a mission to Augsburg April 13 1944 they lost one engine and then another from anti-aircraft fire and he was hit on the wrist. They bailed out ( B-17 #42-37910).
and he was eventually taken to Stalag 17-B where he finally received medical attention from captured French doctors. Prisoner of War (POW). On April 8 1945 they were marched westward for 17 days, sleeping in the open and living off the land until they reached a camp at Branau in Austria. A week later the American tanks arrived.
Air Medal
POW
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 339th Bomb Squadron
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Morning Sun, Iowa, USA | ||
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Germany | 13 April 1944 |
Revisions
Added a "-" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" for clarity.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3768 / MACR 3768; Snetterton Falcons, pg 132 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database