John Joseph Ahern Jr
Military ROLL OF HONOURKilled in Action (KIA) Saved village of Bozeat England by keeping plane from hitting village church. All the rest of the crew bailed out. The mission had been recalled because of bad weather. Three engines quit, the plane still had its bomb load. A/C crashed and exploded on pilot, the rest of the crew bailed out.
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
- Unit: 379th Bomb Group
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Died |
Red Gables Farm, Bozeat | 16 December 1944 | On December 16, 1944, the 379th was to attack rail targets at Stuttgart, with other groups of the 1st Bomb Division and groups of the 3rd Bomb Division. Due to extremely poor weather conditions, the 1st Bomb Division abandoned the mission while still over England. During assembly for this abandoned mission, a/c 44-8275 crashed in the village of Bozeat. Leaving RAF Kimbolton, soon after take-off the plane developed engine trouble and Lt Ahern ordered his crew to bail out, saying he would follow. He never did. He managed to steer the fully armed aircraft away from the village but apparently wasn't able to parachute out before the plane crashed in a field beyond Red Gables Farm, exploding on impact. The farm buildings were damaged by the blast, but the farmer's family were unharmed. Lt Ahern's actions averted a major disaster; the result, had the bombs exploded in the village, doesn't bear thinking about. In gratitude to Lieut. John Ahern, who thus gave his life for Bozeat, the villagers made a house-to-house collection for his mother in America, organized by the members of the Women's Voluntary Service. Bozeat acknowledges his sacrifice every year on Remembrance Day. |
Born |
Atlantic Beach, Florida | ||
Buried |
Minnesota |
Revisions
ContributorSteveC
Changes
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Anthology 379th BG; 379th Bombardment Group Anthology, pg 333 / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia