Eldon Neil Colby
Military
Standing L- R
SSgt. George "The Greek" Triantafillos - Tail Turret Gunner - SSgt. George B. "Doc" Farrell - Radio Operator, replaced Sgt. Flatter - TSgt. C. Lowell Vick - Flight Engineer/Top Turret Gunner - SSgt. Wiley C. Windham - Right Waist Gunner - SSgt. Bernard H. Shelley - Ball Turret Gunner - SSgt. William L. Wilhelm - Left Waist Gunner
Kneeling L-R :
Lt. Robert C. "Bob" Schroeder - Bombardier - Lt. Eldon N. "Neil" Colby (with extra big smile) - Co-Pilot. Lt. Colby got his own crew and was shot down in the B-24H, 42-7766, Heavy Date, in late December, 1943, shortly after this photo was taken . He spent the remainder of the war as a POW, released 1945. - Lt. John C. "Jack" Martin - Pilot - Lt. Walter J. "Stabo" Stabrowski - Navigator
Punctuation, word spacing. - Kickapoo
Object Number - UPL 15318 - B-24D Liberator - 42-40738 - The Oklahoman, and Crew : Standing L- R ...
Pilot 1st Lt. Eldon N. Colby - POW
Squadron: 566th Bomb Squadron - 389th Bomb Group - 8th Air Force - 9th Air Force
POW Stalagluft 1 in Barth, Germany until liberated in 1945.
Target : Ludwigshafen, Germany
Missing Air Crew Report Details - USAAF MACR 1974 :
Date Lost : 30 Dec 43
Serial Number : 42-7766
Aircraft Model : B-24H-5-FO
Aircraft Letter : H+
Aircraft Name : Heavy Date
Location: Crashed near Charleville France.
Cause: German Fighters - 2 EVD. 1 KIA. 7 POW
Pilot 1st Lt. Eldon Neil Colby flew his B-24H, Heavy Date, on 8 missions including his final mission to Ludwigshaven. Colby's ship failed to return (FTR). He had left his formation to return to Hethel, U.K. The 389th Bomb Group loses two aircraft on this day.
- 1st. Lt. Eldon Neil Colby was, first, a B-24 copilot in the B-24D, The Oklahoman, 42-40738, in the 8th Air Force, the 389th Bomb Group (The Sky Scorpions), and the 566th Bombing Squadron. On his first mission as a command pilot, in the B-24, Touch of Texas, Lt. Colby was flying alongside his old plane, The Oklahoman, flown by Lt. Harley Mason and his crew, who normally flew in the B-24D, Fightin' Sam, 42-40506, when, The Oklahoman, took a direct hit by a flak burst, blowing it apart. The command pilot, Lt. Harley Mason, was blown clear of the explosion and parachuted safely to the ground, and was the sole survivor of the explosion and crash. 5 Dec 43.
Lt. Eldon Colby was later shot down flying the B-24H, 42-7766, Heavy Date. He survived that crash and became a Prisoner of War (POW). 30 Dec 1943. Released (REL) 1945. MACR 1974
Pilot : 1st Lt. Eldon N. Colby, POW
Squadron: 566th Bomb Squadron - 389th Bomb Group - 8th Air Force
POW Stalagluft 1 in Barth, Germany, until liberated in 1945.
Target: Ludwigshafen, Germany
Missing Air Crew Report Details
USAAF MACR 1974
Date Lost: Dec 30 1943
Serial Number: 42-7766
Aircraft Model B-24H-5-FO
Aircraft Letter: H+
Aircraft Name: Heavy Date
Location: Crashed near Charleville France.
Cause: German Fighters. 2 EVD. 1 KIA. 7 POW
Pilot 1st Lt. Eldon Neil Colby flew the B-24H Liberator, Heavy Date, on 8 missions including his final mission to Ludwigshaven, Germany. Colby's ship failed to return, shot down by German fighters. He had left his formation to return to Hethel, Britain. The 389th Bomb Group lost two aircraft on this day. Colby survived and was taken prisoner POW. Dec 30, 1943 - Liberated 1945. MACR 1974.
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
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: - Fightin Sam
- Unit: VIII Bomber Command 389th Bomb Group 801st Bomb Group 566th Bomb Squadron 859th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: - The Oklahoman
- Unit: 389th Bomb Group 566th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: - Touch of Texas
- Unit: 389th Bomb Group 567th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: - Heavy Date
- Unit: 389th Bomb Group 566th Bomb Squadron
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Belgium | 30 December 1943 | |
|
Born |
Inglewood, California |
Revisions
Added a "-" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 1974 / MACR 1974, 389th BG roster / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
