Need help, info on 640thBS gunner Gabriel E. Maldonado

[Evgeny Velichko]

Greetings everyone!

Gentlemen - one of my friends from USA asked me to find any info about his grandfather.

Name is priv.Gabriel E. Maldonado, gunner of A-20 of 640th BS. He was shot down by Bf109 over France on unknown date and place, joined French who helped him get back to allied lines. So it must be after Normandy.

Could we find date and place? We could possible find out a pilot who shot him?

Some pictures.

[Nick Hector]

Hi Evgeny,

I have done a bit of skim through the Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces books by Stan Bishop and John Hey for you and unfortunately haven't been able to find anything. The books cover up until September 1944 so...
...either the loss took place after then, or it is not documented within those volumes, or (and this is perfectly possible) I missed it and need to check again, which I will gladly do for you in the coming days.


Nick

[Evgeny Velichko]

Thank You very much!

[RSwank]

There is an enlistment record for a Gabriel E Maldonado here:

https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-...=1&rid=7977256

ASN 39553591, born in Colorado in 1923, enlisted in 1943 in Los Angeles, CA in 1943.

Is that him?


I cannot find a MACR (Missing Air Crew Report) for him on fold3.com nor can I find an Escape and Evasion report for him in the archives here: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/305270

[Orwell1984]

Link to PDF History of the 640th Bombardment Squadron (L)

http://www.deridderarmyairbase.com/i..._p112to137.pdf

Gabriel Maldonado's name appears on page 114 and 120 under enlisted men, firstly as a private then a private first class. I do not find any listing of him in the narrative which discusses losses when flying the A-20. On page 122 there is a mention of a loss in which S/Sgt Gus Bubenzer bailed out of a shot down A-20 and evaded in France with the help of French citizens. This is the sole incident of this type I found mentioned in the text.

Sorry this is not of further help

[RSwank]

Here is Bubenzer's E&E report.

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/5556425

Cannot locate a MACR for him.

[Evgeny Velichko]

Thank You gentlemen for Your effort.

Is it known, how many A-20s from 640th BS was lost during war?

[edwest2]

Some partial information here:


"Operational History


World War II

"Douglas A/B-26 Invader of the 640th Bomb Squadron.


"Constituted as 409th Bombardment Group (Light) on 1 Jun 1943 and activated the same day. Used A-20's in preparing for duty overseas. Moved to RAF Little Walden England, Feb-Mar 1944, and assigned to Ninth Air Force.


"The 409th flew the A-20 "Havoc" and A-26 "Invader" light bomber and was originally trained in low-level attack missions. However, the group was busy flying medium-altitude bombing runs from 10,000 ft. Over 100 missions were flown by the group, attacking coastal defences, V-weapon sites, aerodromes, and other targets in France in preparation for the invasion of Normandy. The group supported ground forces during the Battle of Normandy by hitting gun batteries, rail lines, bridges, communications, and other objectives. During July 1944, aided the Allied offensive at

[edwest2]

Caen and the breakthrough at St Lo with attacks on enemy troops, flak positions, fortified villages, and supply dumps.

"The group moved to their Advanced Landing Ground in at Bretigny, France (A-48) to support Third Army's advance toward Germany on 10 September. A total of ten aircraft were lost by the group flying from Little Walden.
In February 1945 the 409th moved to Laon-Couvron Air Base (A-70) France, remaining until June. The group returned to the United States and was deactivated at Seymour Johnson AAF North Carolina on 6 October 1945."




Ed




Strange how my text broke up.

[Evgeny Velichko]

Thank You, gentlemen.

Are there somekind of losslist for 640thBS?