Thomas Haigh was the son of Thomas Haigh and Florence Pugh Haigh. He had an older sister, Mary.
Thomas enlisted on 11 Mar 1942. He like many young men answered the call to service. Sadly Thomas and some of his crew were killed in December of 1943.
According to a MACR filed in 1943, 1st Lt Thomas Haigh was assigned to the 15th Air Force, 376th Bomb Group, 512th Bomb Squadron during WWII. Lt Haigh was a crew member on a B-24D Serial Number 42-40658. The crew of ten men departed San Pancrazio Italy to fly a high altitude bombing mission over Vincenza Italy. Lt Haigh was the pilot on the mission.
The plane was badly damaged by fighter rocket and cannon fire. Some crew members were killed on the plane before it crashed.
Some crew members were able to bail out, were captured and became prisoners(armorer gunner S/Sgt Romeo Giagnoni, co-pilot Lt Albert Matthai, navigator Lt Norman Troxell, bombardier Capt Ward Walker, engineer T/Sgt Peter Stiles, and radio operator William Butler).
Four crew members (tail gunner S/Sgt Joseph A Kerschner, asst. engineer Pvt Winston Ivey, and S/Sgt Hagar and Lt Haigh) were killed either on the plane or when it crashed near Padua Italy on 28 Dec 1943.
According to the Individual Casuality Questionnaire crew member S/Sgt Romeo Giagnoni reported that he tried to persuade the pilot to jump but that "Lt Haigh stayed on the plane to permit the crew escape".
Lt Haigh was awarded the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters and a Purple Heart.
Thomas enlisted on 11 Mar 1942. He like many young men answered the call to service. Sadly Thomas and some of his crew were killed in December of 1943.
According to a MACR filed in 1943, 1st Lt Thomas Haigh was assigned to the 15th Air Force, 376th Bomb Group, 512th Bomb Squadron during WWII. Lt Haigh was a crew member on a B-24D Serial Number 42-40658. The crew of ten men departed San Pancrazio Italy to fly a high altitude bombing mission over Vincenza Italy. Lt Haigh was the pilot on the mission.
The plane was badly damaged by fighter rocket and cannon fire. Some crew members were killed on the plane before it crashed.
Some crew members were able to bail out, were captured and became prisoners(armorer gunner S/Sgt Romeo Giagnoni, co-pilot Lt Albert Matthai, navigator Lt Norman Troxell, bombardier Capt Ward Walker, engineer T/Sgt Peter Stiles, and radio operator William Butler).
Four crew members (tail gunner S/Sgt Joseph A Kerschner, asst. engineer Pvt Winston Ivey, and S/Sgt Hagar and Lt Haigh) were killed either on the plane or when it crashed near Padua Italy on 28 Dec 1943.
According to the Individual Casuality Questionnaire crew member S/Sgt Romeo Giagnoni reported that he tried to persuade the pilot to jump but that "Lt Haigh stayed on the plane to permit the crew escape".
Lt Haigh was awarded the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters and a Purple Heart.
Thomas Haigh was the son of Thomas Haigh and Florence Pugh Haigh. He had an older sister, Mary.
Thomas enlisted on 11 Mar 1942. He like many young men answered the call to service. Sadly Thomas and some of his crew were killed in December of 1943.
According to a MACR filed in 1943, 1st Lt Thomas Haigh was assigned to the 15th Air Force, 376th Bomb Group, 512th Bomb Squadron during WWII. Lt Haigh was a crew member on a B-24D Serial Number 42-40658. The crew of ten men departed San Pancrazio Italy to fly a high altitude bombing mission over Vincenza Italy. Lt Haigh was the pilot on the mission.
The plane was badly damaged by fighter rocket and cannon fire. Some crew members were killed on the plane before it crashed.
Some crew members were able to bail out, were captured and became prisoners(armorer gunner S/Sgt Romeo Giagnoni, co-pilot Lt Albert Matthai, navigator Lt Norman Troxell, bombardier Capt Ward Walker, engineer T/Sgt Peter Stiles, and radio operator William Butler).
Four crew members (tail gunner S/Sgt Joseph A Kerschner, asst. engineer Pvt Winston Ivey, and S/Sgt Hagar and Lt Haigh) were killed either on the plane or when it crashed near Padua Italy on 28 Dec 1943.
According to the Individual Casuality Questionnaire crew member S/Sgt Romeo Giagnoni reported that he tried to persuade the pilot to jump but that "Lt Haigh stayed on the plane to permit the crew escape".
Lt Haigh was awarded the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters and a Purple Heart.
Thomas enlisted on 11 Mar 1942. He like many young men answered the call to service. Sadly Thomas and some of his crew were killed in December of 1943.
According to a MACR filed in 1943, 1st Lt Thomas Haigh was assigned to the 15th Air Force, 376th Bomb Group, 512th Bomb Squadron during WWII. Lt Haigh was a crew member on a B-24D Serial Number 42-40658. The crew of ten men departed San Pancrazio Italy to fly a high altitude bombing mission over Vincenza Italy. Lt Haigh was the pilot on the mission.
The plane was badly damaged by fighter rocket and cannon fire. Some crew members were killed on the plane before it crashed.
Some crew members were able to bail out, were captured and became prisoners(armorer gunner S/Sgt Romeo Giagnoni, co-pilot Lt Albert Matthai, navigator Lt Norman Troxell, bombardier Capt Ward Walker, engineer T/Sgt Peter Stiles, and radio operator William Butler).
Four crew members (tail gunner S/Sgt Joseph A Kerschner, asst. engineer Pvt Winston Ivey, and S/Sgt Hagar and Lt Haigh) were killed either on the plane or when it crashed near Padua Italy on 28 Dec 1943.
According to the Individual Casuality Questionnaire crew member S/Sgt Romeo Giagnoni reported that he tried to persuade the pilot to jump but that "Lt Haigh stayed on the plane to permit the crew escape".
Lt Haigh was awarded the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters and a Purple Heart.
Inscription
1LT, US ARMY AIR FORCES WORLD WAR II
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Virginia.
