Charles R Esparza

Military
media-30054.jpeg UPL 30054 Cartoon by Joseph J Rosa of his crew in B-26 'Cactus Jack'. Joseph J Rosa Collection

Uploaded on behalf of Michael Fontanarosa.

Object Number - UPL 30054 - Cartoon by Joseph J Rosa of his crew in B-26 'Cactus Jack'.

Shot down over France on 21 September 1943 in B-26B 41-31721 'Cactus Jack', 387BG/559BS while serving as Co-Pilot while on a mission to bomb the German airfield of Beauvais/Tille, France. He baled out of the aircraft and was captured as a Prisoner of War (POW). Dulag Luft. Stalag Luft III. March to Stalag Luft VIIA until 29 April 1945. Then to Camp Lucky Strike and home.



AM/ DFC

Connections

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Units served with

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

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-26 Marauder
  • Nicknames: Cactus Jack
  • Unit: 387th Bomb Group 559th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

Moosburg, Germany 21 September 1943 - 29 April 1945 Held at Stalag Luft 3 and then at Stalag 7A. Moosburg, Bavaria. Libertated 29-Apr-45. Returned home 10-Aug-1945.

Born

Revisions

Date
ContributorMichaelSF
Changes
Sources

Charles, now deceased, was my uncle. He achieved the rank of major.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 26-Jun-2015. Added decoration and POW event per National Archives Records Administrtion (NARA) WWII POW database; Corrected rank, added Place, AIrcraft and Mission per MACR 614; Added crew position and aircraft loss details to Summary Biography based on "Losses of the 8th & 9ht AIr Forces", Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / self

Charles R Esparza: Gallery (3 items)