Vitold A Zalneraitis

Military

Prisoner of War (POW). While flying in B-17G #43-38154 'Heavenly Body' on mission to Bielefeld, GE, had a mid-air with A/C #43-38037 'Liberty Bell' from same squadron. Lost right wing and spun in six miles east of Bielefeld - 8 Killed in Action (KIA), 1 Prisoner of War (POW).

Connections

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Units served with

487th Bomb Group

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

836th Bomb Squadron

Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
Air Force: Eighth Air Force
Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

43-38154

Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
Unit: 487th Bomb Group 836th Bomb Squadron

Missions

655

Date: 30 September 1944

Places

Airman's Bar, Swan Hotel, Lavenham

Site type: USAAF heritage site

Officers of the 487th Bomb Group outside the 838th Bomb Squadron operations room.

Lavenham

Site type: Airfield
Known as: Lavenham/Alpheton Airfield

Lavenham Marketplace

Site type: Memorial

Events

Event	Location	Date	Description
Born	Lynn, MA, USA	1 October 1921
Other Prisoner of War	Germany	30 September 1944	See full story at http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1342533-armys-holt-zalneraitis-inspired-by-grandfather-a-wwii-pow
Died	Long Beach, CA	4 July 1999

Event

Location

Date

Description

Born

Lynn, MA, USA

1 October 1921

Other

Prisoner of War

Germany

30 September 1944

See full story at http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1342533-armys-holt-zalneraitis-inspired-by-grandfather-a-wwii-pow

Died

Long Beach, CA

4 July 1999

Revisions

Date3 Apr 2020 21:46:24

Contributorjmoore43

Changes

Sources

Added a "#" to the A/C serial # in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.

Date27 Jan 2018 20:35:41

Contributorzanthony

Changes

Sources

From service record and first person account from Lt. Zalneraitis

Date27 Jan 2018 20:34:15

Contributorzanthony

Changes

Sources

From family records documented by son, Bruce.

Date27 Jan 2018 20:26:10

Contributorzanthony

Changes

Sources

Taken from Missing Air Crew Report 9423, War Departrment, Headquarters Army Air Forces.

Date30 Oct 2015 10:59:59

Contributorgeneral ira snapsorter

Changes

Sources

Details added from MACR 9423 - https://www.fold3.com

Date27 Sep 2014 18:26:35

ContributorAAM

Changes

Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 9423 / MACR 9423; Loosses of 8th AF, vol.4 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / http://www.487thbg.org/Photos/VolecheniskyCrew.shtml