John Paul D'Amour
Military ROLL OF HONOURL-R :
Robert J. Nespor John C. Riley Thurman L. Ward Darmond R. Massort
Edward J. Suwa John P. D'Amour George W. Lawlor.
Punctuation, spelling. - Kickapoo
Staff Sgt. John D'Amour was killed in action (KIA) after being reassigned as a replacement gunner, from the 93rd Bomb Group, in the 8th Air Force, reassigned to Lt. John S. Young's regular B-24D, 41-11768, named, Kickapoo, as part of the 344th Bomb Squadron, the 98th Bomb Group, in the 9th Air Force on Operation Tidal Wave to Ploesti.
Sgt. D'Amour was killed (KIA) when, Kickapoo, crashed shortly after take off for the low level Ploesti, Romania mission. The airplane's number 4 engine failed just after getting airborne and caught fire. The plane's replacement pilot, Lt. Robert Nespor, turned back to Lete field to land. On his second approach, with his aircraft's right wing engulfed in flames, he lost power in his other three engines, landed hard, bounced, and the plane's right wing struck a concrete pole. The plane cartwheeled into the ground, off the runway, and exploded in flames, killing everyone on board, except for two of the replacement crewmen, who were able to escape the wreckage, badly burned, but survived their burns and, after a long recovery, were able to return to duty. 7 KIA. 2 WIA-RTD. 1 Aug 1943
Awards: Air Medal - E-A-M-E Medal - Purple Heart
Due to the aborted takeoff and subsequent crash, Lt. Nespor's crew did not receive mission credit, and their names do not appear in the official USAAF History Roster of Personnel for DFCs. They did receive their Distinguished Flying Cross and Purple Heart Medals posthumously.
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
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18051855 / O-435980
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18065717 / O-725567
- Highest Rank: Major
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: - Kickapoo
- Unit: 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 1 August 1943
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Sparta, MI 49345, USA | 9 August 1911 | Son of John B and Mary E [Guerno] D'Amour. |
Enlisted |
3 April 1942 | Detroit, Michigan | |
Died |
Benghazi, Libya | 1 August 1943 | Killed in action when his plane in which he was assigned as a replacement crew member gunner. His assigned B-24D, 41-11768, Kickapoo, in the 344th Bomb Squadron, the 98th Bomb Group, in the 9th Air Force. Aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff for the low level Ploesti mission. An engine failed just after getting airborne and caught fire while banking back toward the field to land. The right wing struck a concrete pole upon landing, cartwheeling the airplane into the ground off the runway, and exploded into a fireball of flames. 8 KIA. 2 WIA- RTD. 1 Aug 1943. |
Buried |
Fort Scott National Cemetery Fort Scott, Bourbon County KS | Fort Scott National Cemetery Fort Scott, Bourbon County Kansas, USA. | |
Other Assigned |
Benghazi, Libya | Assigned to the 93rd Bomb Group in the 8th AF. |
Revisions
Removed punctuation marks from around aircraft name for clarity, uniformity, and readability. - Kickapoo
Added to awards and bio entry.
Find a Grave data
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/552190/john-paul-d'amour
Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.
Merged with duplicate entry to include details from:
- Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia;
- Ted's Traveling Circus