S/Sgt Thomas Harry F 493BG/860BS
 

Hello ,

Has someone more info on this loss :

493 BG / 860 BS
S/SGT THOMAS, HARRY F.
From Erie, Pennsylvania.
KIA 2-11-1944 as nose turret gunner of a 493 BG aircraft.
Target: Leuna synthetic oil refinery, Merseburg, Germany.
The aircraft was hit by severe flak and attacked by Me-262 jet fighters. The pilot landed his aircraft in friendly territory in Belgium

Greets

Alain57

Re: S/Sgt Thomas Harry F 493BG/860BS
 

There is some info here. He flew on Joe Gualano's crew. Note the 493rd converted to B-17s in September 44. This link says he was the lwg on B-17 43-38316 when he was killed.

http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/12321

There is a little more info on some of the links included in the link above.

Re: S/Sgt Thomas Harry F 493BG/860BS
 

Thanks for the info;

Grts Alain57

Re: S/Sgt Thomas Harry F 493BG/860BS
 

Greetings,

S/Sgt Harry Floyd Thomas, ASN: 13060801 grave maker (with little other detail) is here:

https://www.fieldsofhonor-database.c...thomas-harry-f

His NARA enlistment record is here:

https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-...pg=1&rid=77921

Just this morning I have added documents to the S/Sgt Thomas findagrave page here:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...harry-f-thomas

I have suggested edits to CWGC/ABMC who controls this page. Might take them a little time to update everything.

Update: Have added a junior class high school image of Harry F. Thomas to his findagrave page. Estimated age 16, so likely not representative of the older S/Sgt Thomas but better than no image at all

What is your interest in this veteran? As yet no photo found. Do you have a photo of S/Sgt Thomas?

Hope this helps toward your original query.

Re: S/Sgt Thomas Harry F 493BG/860BS
 

Dear Sir ,

Thank you very much for your reply, i found a photo from Sgt Thomas on the following facebookpage :

USAAF Class Book Project ABMC American Cemeteries

The aircraft in wich Sgt Thomas was nosegunner made an emergency landing on the airfield A-92 in Belgium at that time used by the 48th and 404 Fighter Group and about 1 mile from my homeplace.
Thanks once more for your help
Alain57
Belgium

Re: S/Sgt Thomas Harry F 493BG/860BS
 

Sgt Thomas left backrow

Re: S/Sgt Thomas Harry F 493BG/860BS
 

Alain57,
Thank you for sharing this source link, and photo.

Interesting that Harry Floyd Thomas, aviation cadet must have washed out as a pilot at some point. As suggested from the photo in "Pilot Class Book 43-H", Waco, Texas, available from AAF Collection:

http://www.aafcollection.info/items/...!1!title!up!20