Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Forces. World War II.
In November 1944, Second Lieutenant Ernest Appleby, Jr. was serving as a pilot with the 759th Bomb Squadron, 459th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 304th Bombardment Wing, 15th Air Force, U.S. Army Air Forces, based at Giulia Airfield, Italy. The 459th Bombardment Group flew B-24 Liberator bombers on missions in Italy, France, the Balkans, Austria and Germany.
On 20 November, 2LT Appleby was the pilot of B-24J Liberator bomber Serial Number 42-51772 named 'Gen (Generator Kid)' that was on a mission to bomb a target at Hodonin, Myjava, Czechoslovakia. [Missing Air Crew Record (MACR) 9945.] The aircraft had a crew of 10.
MACR 9945 says the aircraft was last sighted by 2 witnesses at 1155 hours. The witnesses, CPL Elvin C. Bertran and PVT Luther G. McGill, Jr., both said that the aircraft was under apparent control when last seen.
It was later learned that the aircraft had been attacked by enemy fighters and that an engine caught on fire. The aircraft went out of control and the pilot gave orders for the crew to jump. He did not make it out of the aircraft (see information below) but the nine other crew members successfully parachuted from the airplane. Two men, CPL Lawrence G. Baumgarten and CPL Lawrence Cardwell, Jr., were hidden and cared for by partisans when they landed, allowing them to evade capture by the Germans until 8 April 1945, at which time they were Returned to Duty (RTD). The remaining seven men were captured by the enemy and became Prisoners of War (POWs). One of them, Bombardier Flight Officer James M. Kirchhoff, was killed by the Germans while a POW. They remaining six POWS were released at the end of the war.
Pilot, 2LT Ernest Appleby, Jr. In an Individual Casualty Questionnaire, an unidentified crew member provided the following information regarding 2LT Appleby, who was determined to have been Killed in Action:
"Appleby told me to go back to the waist and see that all crew members had bailed out, then to go ahead and jump. He said that he had the automatic pilot set up and would jump right away and not to worry about anything. I told him the ship would blow up any minute and pleaded with him to get out right away. However, he disregarded my pleading. He was still at the controls of the ship when I last saw him."
"He remained with the aircraft after we had bailed out the rest of the crew at 13,000 feet. We were going through bail-out procedures when the aircraft exploded. I did not see him bail out and observers on the ground claim that only nine parachutes came out of the aircraft."
"A few members of the underground who examined the wreckage of the aircraft claimed that they found the burned body of a large man in the wreckage. The body had no arms, legs or head and no identification was found. It is my belief that Appleby was killed when the aircraft hit the ground. He was a very large man so the above information seems to support this belief."
FO James M. Kirchhoff In a Casualty Interrogation Report dated 16 October 1945, CPL Lawrence Cardwell, Jr. wrote the following heresay information:
"From the underground I learned that FO Kirchhoff was picked up by German soldiers and taken to a small jail near the place where he bailed out. The partisans broke into the jail that night, killed the guards, and kidnapped FO Kirchhoff. Through the underground, on or about 18 December 1944, I received a letter from FO Kirchhoff stating that he had broken his leg, which had been set. Other than that, he was apparently in good health. I received a letter from Mrs. Emily Simek, Brezova, Pod Bradlow, Czechoslovakia, on approximately 30 September 1945. In her letter, which I do not have at this station, she stated that FO Kirchhoff had been executed, along with 2 partisans, by the Gestapo after having been tortured because of suspected activities with the partisans. I believe that FO Kirchhoff was captured by the Gestapo during the week of 25 December 1944. The letter from Mrs. Simek also states that a State Funeral was held at Stara Tura, Czechoslovakia, after the bodies had been exhumed. I have the notice of the funeral, which is written is Slavic, at home."
The date and place of death of FO Kirchhoff in the Casualty Interrogation Report is shown as 28 December 1944, at Tirnava, Czechoslovakia.
Medals, Awards and Badges
Distinguished Flying Cross
Purple Heart
Air Medal
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Army Air Forces Pilot Badge
[The information in this biography was compiled by Charles A. Lewis and was derived primarily from various sections of the 459th Bombardment Group website at http://www.459bg.org/ and permission was granted for its use.]
In November 1944, Second Lieutenant Ernest Appleby, Jr. was serving as a pilot with the 759th Bomb Squadron, 459th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 304th Bombardment Wing, 15th Air Force, U.S. Army Air Forces, based at Giulia Airfield, Italy. The 459th Bombardment Group flew B-24 Liberator bombers on missions in Italy, France, the Balkans, Austria and Germany.
On 20 November, 2LT Appleby was the pilot of B-24J Liberator bomber Serial Number 42-51772 named 'Gen (Generator Kid)' that was on a mission to bomb a target at Hodonin, Myjava, Czechoslovakia. [Missing Air Crew Record (MACR) 9945.] The aircraft had a crew of 10.
MACR 9945 says the aircraft was last sighted by 2 witnesses at 1155 hours. The witnesses, CPL Elvin C. Bertran and PVT Luther G. McGill, Jr., both said that the aircraft was under apparent control when last seen.
It was later learned that the aircraft had been attacked by enemy fighters and that an engine caught on fire. The aircraft went out of control and the pilot gave orders for the crew to jump. He did not make it out of the aircraft (see information below) but the nine other crew members successfully parachuted from the airplane. Two men, CPL Lawrence G. Baumgarten and CPL Lawrence Cardwell, Jr., were hidden and cared for by partisans when they landed, allowing them to evade capture by the Germans until 8 April 1945, at which time they were Returned to Duty (RTD). The remaining seven men were captured by the enemy and became Prisoners of War (POWs). One of them, Bombardier Flight Officer James M. Kirchhoff, was killed by the Germans while a POW. They remaining six POWS were released at the end of the war.
Pilot, 2LT Ernest Appleby, Jr. In an Individual Casualty Questionnaire, an unidentified crew member provided the following information regarding 2LT Appleby, who was determined to have been Killed in Action:
"Appleby told me to go back to the waist and see that all crew members had bailed out, then to go ahead and jump. He said that he had the automatic pilot set up and would jump right away and not to worry about anything. I told him the ship would blow up any minute and pleaded with him to get out right away. However, he disregarded my pleading. He was still at the controls of the ship when I last saw him."
"He remained with the aircraft after we had bailed out the rest of the crew at 13,000 feet. We were going through bail-out procedures when the aircraft exploded. I did not see him bail out and observers on the ground claim that only nine parachutes came out of the aircraft."
"A few members of the underground who examined the wreckage of the aircraft claimed that they found the burned body of a large man in the wreckage. The body had no arms, legs or head and no identification was found. It is my belief that Appleby was killed when the aircraft hit the ground. He was a very large man so the above information seems to support this belief."
FO James M. Kirchhoff In a Casualty Interrogation Report dated 16 October 1945, CPL Lawrence Cardwell, Jr. wrote the following heresay information:
"From the underground I learned that FO Kirchhoff was picked up by German soldiers and taken to a small jail near the place where he bailed out. The partisans broke into the jail that night, killed the guards, and kidnapped FO Kirchhoff. Through the underground, on or about 18 December 1944, I received a letter from FO Kirchhoff stating that he had broken his leg, which had been set. Other than that, he was apparently in good health. I received a letter from Mrs. Emily Simek, Brezova, Pod Bradlow, Czechoslovakia, on approximately 30 September 1945. In her letter, which I do not have at this station, she stated that FO Kirchhoff had been executed, along with 2 partisans, by the Gestapo after having been tortured because of suspected activities with the partisans. I believe that FO Kirchhoff was captured by the Gestapo during the week of 25 December 1944. The letter from Mrs. Simek also states that a State Funeral was held at Stara Tura, Czechoslovakia, after the bodies had been exhumed. I have the notice of the funeral, which is written is Slavic, at home."
The date and place of death of FO Kirchhoff in the Casualty Interrogation Report is shown as 28 December 1944, at Tirnava, Czechoslovakia.
Medals, Awards and Badges
Distinguished Flying Cross
Purple Heart
Air Medal
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Army Air Forces Pilot Badge
[The information in this biography was compiled by Charles A. Lewis and was derived primarily from various sections of the 459th Bombardment Group website at http://www.459bg.org/ and permission was granted for its use.]
Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Forces. World War II.
In November 1944, Second Lieutenant Ernest Appleby, Jr. was serving as a pilot with the 759th Bomb Squadron, 459th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 304th Bombardment Wing, 15th Air Force, U.S. Army Air Forces, based at Giulia Airfield, Italy. The 459th Bombardment Group flew B-24 Liberator bombers on missions in Italy, France, the Balkans, Austria and Germany.
On 20 November, 2LT Appleby was the pilot of B-24J Liberator bomber Serial Number 42-51772 named 'Gen (Generator Kid)' that was on a mission to bomb a target at Hodonin, Myjava, Czechoslovakia. [Missing Air Crew Record (MACR) 9945.] The aircraft had a crew of 10.
MACR 9945 says the aircraft was last sighted by 2 witnesses at 1155 hours. The witnesses, CPL Elvin C. Bertran and PVT Luther G. McGill, Jr., both said that the aircraft was under apparent control when last seen.
It was later learned that the aircraft had been attacked by enemy fighters and that an engine caught on fire. The aircraft went out of control and the pilot gave orders for the crew to jump. He did not make it out of the aircraft (see information below) but the nine other crew members successfully parachuted from the airplane. Two men, CPL Lawrence G. Baumgarten and CPL Lawrence Cardwell, Jr., were hidden and cared for by partisans when they landed, allowing them to evade capture by the Germans until 8 April 1945, at which time they were Returned to Duty (RTD). The remaining seven men were captured by the enemy and became Prisoners of War (POWs). One of them, Bombardier Flight Officer James M. Kirchhoff, was killed by the Germans while a POW. They remaining six POWS were released at the end of the war.
Pilot, 2LT Ernest Appleby, Jr. In an Individual Casualty Questionnaire, an unidentified crew member provided the following information regarding 2LT Appleby, who was determined to have been Killed in Action:
"Appleby told me to go back to the waist and see that all crew members had bailed out, then to go ahead and jump. He said that he had the automatic pilot set up and would jump right away and not to worry about anything. I told him the ship would blow up any minute and pleaded with him to get out right away. However, he disregarded my pleading. He was still at the controls of the ship when I last saw him."
"He remained with the aircraft after we had bailed out the rest of the crew at 13,000 feet. We were going through bail-out procedures when the aircraft exploded. I did not see him bail out and observers on the ground claim that only nine parachutes came out of the aircraft."
"A few members of the underground who examined the wreckage of the aircraft claimed that they found the burned body of a large man in the wreckage. The body had no arms, legs or head and no identification was found. It is my belief that Appleby was killed when the aircraft hit the ground. He was a very large man so the above information seems to support this belief."
FO James M. Kirchhoff In a Casualty Interrogation Report dated 16 October 1945, CPL Lawrence Cardwell, Jr. wrote the following heresay information:
"From the underground I learned that FO Kirchhoff was picked up by German soldiers and taken to a small jail near the place where he bailed out. The partisans broke into the jail that night, killed the guards, and kidnapped FO Kirchhoff. Through the underground, on or about 18 December 1944, I received a letter from FO Kirchhoff stating that he had broken his leg, which had been set. Other than that, he was apparently in good health. I received a letter from Mrs. Emily Simek, Brezova, Pod Bradlow, Czechoslovakia, on approximately 30 September 1945. In her letter, which I do not have at this station, she stated that FO Kirchhoff had been executed, along with 2 partisans, by the Gestapo after having been tortured because of suspected activities with the partisans. I believe that FO Kirchhoff was captured by the Gestapo during the week of 25 December 1944. The letter from Mrs. Simek also states that a State Funeral was held at Stara Tura, Czechoslovakia, after the bodies had been exhumed. I have the notice of the funeral, which is written is Slavic, at home."
The date and place of death of FO Kirchhoff in the Casualty Interrogation Report is shown as 28 December 1944, at Tirnava, Czechoslovakia.
Medals, Awards and Badges
Distinguished Flying Cross
Purple Heart
Air Medal
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Army Air Forces Pilot Badge
[The information in this biography was compiled by Charles A. Lewis and was derived primarily from various sections of the 459th Bombardment Group website at http://www.459bg.org/ and permission was granted for its use.]
In November 1944, Second Lieutenant Ernest Appleby, Jr. was serving as a pilot with the 759th Bomb Squadron, 459th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 304th Bombardment Wing, 15th Air Force, U.S. Army Air Forces, based at Giulia Airfield, Italy. The 459th Bombardment Group flew B-24 Liberator bombers on missions in Italy, France, the Balkans, Austria and Germany.
On 20 November, 2LT Appleby was the pilot of B-24J Liberator bomber Serial Number 42-51772 named 'Gen (Generator Kid)' that was on a mission to bomb a target at Hodonin, Myjava, Czechoslovakia. [Missing Air Crew Record (MACR) 9945.] The aircraft had a crew of 10.
MACR 9945 says the aircraft was last sighted by 2 witnesses at 1155 hours. The witnesses, CPL Elvin C. Bertran and PVT Luther G. McGill, Jr., both said that the aircraft was under apparent control when last seen.
It was later learned that the aircraft had been attacked by enemy fighters and that an engine caught on fire. The aircraft went out of control and the pilot gave orders for the crew to jump. He did not make it out of the aircraft (see information below) but the nine other crew members successfully parachuted from the airplane. Two men, CPL Lawrence G. Baumgarten and CPL Lawrence Cardwell, Jr., were hidden and cared for by partisans when they landed, allowing them to evade capture by the Germans until 8 April 1945, at which time they were Returned to Duty (RTD). The remaining seven men were captured by the enemy and became Prisoners of War (POWs). One of them, Bombardier Flight Officer James M. Kirchhoff, was killed by the Germans while a POW. They remaining six POWS were released at the end of the war.
Pilot, 2LT Ernest Appleby, Jr. In an Individual Casualty Questionnaire, an unidentified crew member provided the following information regarding 2LT Appleby, who was determined to have been Killed in Action:
"Appleby told me to go back to the waist and see that all crew members had bailed out, then to go ahead and jump. He said that he had the automatic pilot set up and would jump right away and not to worry about anything. I told him the ship would blow up any minute and pleaded with him to get out right away. However, he disregarded my pleading. He was still at the controls of the ship when I last saw him."
"He remained with the aircraft after we had bailed out the rest of the crew at 13,000 feet. We were going through bail-out procedures when the aircraft exploded. I did not see him bail out and observers on the ground claim that only nine parachutes came out of the aircraft."
"A few members of the underground who examined the wreckage of the aircraft claimed that they found the burned body of a large man in the wreckage. The body had no arms, legs or head and no identification was found. It is my belief that Appleby was killed when the aircraft hit the ground. He was a very large man so the above information seems to support this belief."
FO James M. Kirchhoff In a Casualty Interrogation Report dated 16 October 1945, CPL Lawrence Cardwell, Jr. wrote the following heresay information:
"From the underground I learned that FO Kirchhoff was picked up by German soldiers and taken to a small jail near the place where he bailed out. The partisans broke into the jail that night, killed the guards, and kidnapped FO Kirchhoff. Through the underground, on or about 18 December 1944, I received a letter from FO Kirchhoff stating that he had broken his leg, which had been set. Other than that, he was apparently in good health. I received a letter from Mrs. Emily Simek, Brezova, Pod Bradlow, Czechoslovakia, on approximately 30 September 1945. In her letter, which I do not have at this station, she stated that FO Kirchhoff had been executed, along with 2 partisans, by the Gestapo after having been tortured because of suspected activities with the partisans. I believe that FO Kirchhoff was captured by the Gestapo during the week of 25 December 1944. The letter from Mrs. Simek also states that a State Funeral was held at Stara Tura, Czechoslovakia, after the bodies had been exhumed. I have the notice of the funeral, which is written is Slavic, at home."
The date and place of death of FO Kirchhoff in the Casualty Interrogation Report is shown as 28 December 1944, at Tirnava, Czechoslovakia.
Medals, Awards and Badges
Distinguished Flying Cross
Purple Heart
Air Medal
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Army Air Forces Pilot Badge
[The information in this biography was compiled by Charles A. Lewis and was derived primarily from various sections of the 459th Bombardment Group website at http://www.459bg.org/ and permission was granted for its use.]
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