Walter Nelson Goodson
Military
Rear - L to R : SSgt. George E Hartney - Lt. Ronald S. Allen - Capt William N Anderson - Lt. Stanley F. Olson - Lt. Charles M. Shaw - Cpl. Victor A. McMenamin.
Front - L to R : Cpl. Clifford C. Hurst - SSgt Oscar Ferkauff - TSgt. Walter N. Goodson - Sgt. J. R. Bell - SSgt. Allie T. Hearne Jr.
Removed punctuation from aircraft name for clarity, uniformity, and readability. - Kickapoo
Object Number - UPL 14538 - Liberator B-24D, 4240172, Lynn Bari II, in the 506th Bomb Squadron, the 44th Bomb Group, "The Flying 8 Balls", in the 8th Air Force, TDY to the 9th...
Assigned to 506BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Attached to 9AF USAAF, TDY in North Africa. Took part in Operation 'Tidal Wave', the raid on Ploesti on 1-Aug-43, flying B-24 Liberator 42-40172 Lynn Bari II.
Failed to Return (FTR) Weiner Neustadt in B-24 42-72857 'Star Spangled Hell'; mauled by fighters, A/C exploded 10 miles north of target. 1-Oct-43 Goodson suffered burns from the bomb bay fires in jumping out of the plane. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 51251
Award: DFC, AM (4OLC), PH, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
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
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 44th Bomb Group 506th Bomb Squadron 67th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 16040136 / O-411678
- Highest Rank: Major
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 44th Bomb Group 506th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 19032975 / O-730588
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
Missions
- Date: 1 August 1943
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Soluch Airfield
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Dulag Luft Grosstychow Dulag 12
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Pathway
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Stalag 17b, Krems an der Donau, Austria
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Evansville, Gibson County, IN | 27 January 1914 | Son of Emery William and Eva Lela [Stephenson] Goodson. |
|
Enlisted |
Fort Benjamin Harrison, IN | 3 February 1942 | Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana |
|
Other Baled out POW |
Weiner Neustadt, Austria | 1 October 1943 | Failed to Return (FTR) Weiner Neustadt in B-24 42-72857 'Star Spangled Hell'; mauled by fighters, A/C exploded 10 miles north of target. 1-Oct-43. POW MACR 51251 |
|
Other Prisoner of war (POW) |
Krems an der Donau, Austria | 1 October 1943 | Prisoner of war (POW). Stalag XVIIb. |
|
Died |
Evansville, IN | 18 September 1965 | |
|
Buried |
Park Lawn Cemetery and Mausoleum, Evansville, Vanderburgh County, IN | 21 September 1965 | Park Lawn Cemetery and Mausoleum Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana |
|
Based Prisoner of war (POW) |
Shipdham | Assigned to 506BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. | |
|
Based |
Benina | 1 October 1943 | Attached to 9AF USAAF, TDY in North Africa. |
Revisions
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Dugan & Stewart 'Ploesti', 44th BG Roll of Honor and Casualties by Will Lundy p. 136-138, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop and Hey p. 299