Jim D Combs

Military ROLL OF HONOUR

Originally assigned to the 303BG/359BS as an Aerial Gunner at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho on 13-Feb-42. However, he was reassigned to the 97BG prior to the 303BG's deployment to Molesworth in September 1942. Date of reassignment not determined.



Shot down 21 October 1942 in B-17 41-24344 while serving as a Waist Gunner. Killed in Action (KIA).

Connections

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Units served with

Official emblem of the 303rd Bomb Group approved 7 November 1942.

303rd Bomb Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment
Ground personnel of the 97th Bomb Group reservice a B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-9023) nicknamed "Yankee Doodle", following the raid on Rouen. Image stamped on reverse: 'Associated Press.' [stamp], 'Passed for Publication 18 Aug 1942.' [stamp], 'Air=SER (Boeing).' [written annotation] and '216112.' [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: 'U.S FLYING FORTRESSES RAID ROUEN IN DAYLIGHT. Associated Press Photo Shows: No sooner had one of the huge Fortresses landed after the raid than ground crew im

97th Bomb Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

41-24344

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 97th Bomb Group 414th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Weaver, Texas, USA

Other

Killed in Action (KIA)

Plouescat, France 21 October 1942 Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 15352 only indicates that he was MIA. However, testimony from 1Lt. Robert E. Jackson, in that MACR record, said that a German officer showed him the ID tags of 5 of the 8 KIAs in this crew and indicated that three others were unidentified but claimed that all the KIAs had been recovered and buried.

Buried

Texas, USA Buried by the Germans in the cemetery of Plouescat, France on 27-Oct-1942. After the war his remains were re-interred at the Brittany American Cemetery, Plot O, Row 8, Grave 199. However, the American Battle Monuments Commission has no record that this airman is still in that cemetery. It is probable that his remains were repatriated to the United States to his home of record in Texas.

Revisions

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Capitalized all the words in the "Role/job" field to aid readability.

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

Changed Connection from '359 Bomb Squadron', which is becoming redundant, to '359th Bomb Squadron'.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 19-Nov-2014. The association with 303BG AND the last name ERROR of "Comb" instead of "Combs" was originally ingested from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in Savannah, Georgia. That information has been COMBINED into this single entry. The association with the 303BG made in the Summary Biography was confirmed with Mr. Gary Moncur, website historian 303BG, http://www.303rdbg.com/ via an e-mail inquiry of Mr. Moncur with Mr. Cunningham. All other information from MACR 15352.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 27-Oct-2014. Correction to mission association.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 27-Oct-2014. Missing Air Crew Report 15352.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 15352 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database