B-17 G, 42-102423, My devotion

[GrafWolf]

Hello gentlemen!

Are there any personel memories of the men from B-17"My Devotion"
available? This B-17 made a belly landing at Stafflangen, near airfield
Reichenbach, on 31.July 1944.
Names of the crew:
Jack Pearson, Joe Procter, Syd Gordon, Alf Guidotti, Dewitt Fontanett,
Bill Bovington, Harry Hover, Frank Mizer and Chas Janis.
All POW, MACR 7742
I know this story only from german side, would be very interesting to
know the other side!

Herzliche Grüsse aus Oberschwaben,

Wolfgang

[edwest2]

Hello Wolfgang,


I started my search with Jack Pearson. Here is a link that may provide more information: http://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/102382



See Sources at the bottom of the page for further links.



Best regards,

Ed

[GrafWolf]

Dear Ed,

thank you very much!

Herzliche Grüsse aus Oberschwaben,

Wolfgang

[vathra]

As I was told by one researcher, PoW debriefs are located in NARA, in paper form.
It might be lengthy and therefore time consuming (and costly) procedure to get them.

On other side, I think they are not so big reports, and since they were made several months or even years after shot down, I doubt that there would be interesting details in it.

[Alain57]

Hello ,

Perhaps this can help :

2nd Lt Pearson Jack B 0-818212 Florida
2nd Lt Proctor Joe L 0819314 Tenessee
1st Gordon Sydney
2nd Lt Guidotti Alfred H 0-772047 Massachusetts
Sgt Fontenot Dewell J 38983776 Louisiana
Sgt Boyington Bill William 19073637 Utah
Sgt Hoover Harold M 15113441 Ohio
Sgt Mizer Frank S 35058708 Ohio
Sgt Janis Charles G 12095396 New-Jersey


Regards
Alain57

[GrafWolf]

Hello gentlemen!

Maybe someone want to put a needle on a map:

48°05´51´´N-9°41`50``O are the coordinations of the
belly landing from B-17 G "My devotion".
Refer to Hans Willbold the men from "My devotion" must had been
sure they were at Switzerland. They hadn´t destroyed their
documents. They were very angry as they noticed their mistake.
Flight instructor Leutnant Steybe and some other men from JG 106
had to escort the nine men to airfield Reichenbach. They didn´t like
the german cigarettes "Sondermischung" and they didn´t like the
dinner at Reichenbach.The men from JG 106 were very glad that these
angry men were taken to railway station Schussenried that evening.
All flight instructor from JG 106 and their trainees got the chance now
to explore this B-17.

Herzliche Grüsse aus Oberschwaben,

Wolfgang