Col John DeFrancesco, B-17 pilot, 384th BG, PoW

[DavidIsby]

https://thearrowheadclub.com/2017/07...n-defrancesco/

WWII veteran John DeFrancesco, who served as a B-17 Pilot in the 384th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force. He was shot down on his thirty-fifth mission and spent 144 days as a POW in Germany.
DeFrancesco enlisted in the US Army Air Force at eighteen, shortly after graduating high school. He was selected for the aviation cadet program and soon underwent pilot training, eventually earning his wings as a B-17 pilot.
After training, the Army assigned John a crew – some of whom had previously served in the Pacific Theater. Attached to the 544th Bomb Squadron, 384th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, they were stationed in Grafton Underwood, England, for the duration of the war.
On January 8, 1945, John and his crew took off on a mission to bomb a railroad in Kyllburg, Germany. As they neared the target, his B-17, nicknamed "Fightin' Hebe," was struck by German anti-aircraft fire, damaging one of the plane's four engines and forcing John to drop out of formation. Soon after, a second engine burst into flames. As the fire spread, John ordered his crew to bail out.
After parachuting into enemy territory, DeFrancesco was separated from the rest of his crew. Despite this, he evaded immediate capture, moving stealthily across Germany for nearly 3 days. Eventually, he was caught, marking the beginning of more than four months in captivity. John endured harsh conditions in two POW camps – Stalag XIII-D in Nuremberg and Stalag VII-A in Moosburg. Food was sparse, temperatures were cold, and living conditions were primitive, though John noted that his treatment was less severe compared to that of Soviet prisoners.
As the war drew to a close, the Germans evacuated Stalag XIII-D and took the prisoners on a grueling forced march to Stalag VII-A. During the march, John made a daring escape with a fellow prisoner. However, the sound of gunfire ahead, likely from German troops or approaching Allied forces, compelled them to turn back, eventually joining a different group of POWs marching away from the front.
John arrived at Stalag VII-A just weeks before it was liberated by American forces. On April 29, 1945, the 14th Armored Division reached the gates of the camp, freeing 110,000 Allied prisoners of war – a moment of overwhelming joy and relief for John and his fellow POWs.
After WWII, DeFrancesco stayed in the Air Force Reserves, retiring as a Colonel in 1984