Bio

My cousin, Thomas G. Leahy, was a member of the 457th Bomb Group. He flew about 29 missions as a waist gunner on a B-17 heavy bomber stationed at Glatton station 130 Peterborough England from January 1944 until his B-17 was shot down over France on June 14, 1944. He was captured and was a POW at Stalag Luft IV until the end of the war. The profile picture is of Thomas (top row at end on right) and his original crew, piloted by Edward Bender, co-pilot Charles Blackwell. They were a lead crew and flew on the Rene III and other B-17s. Thomas was shot down as a member of another crew, What's Next, that Thomas was asked on as a fill-in. That plane was piloted by newly promoted to pilot Charles Blackwell (bottom row, second from left); it was tail number 42-102464.