He was not officially declared as being dead by the military until February 20, 1946. The above date is the official military date of when the entire crew was declared as Missing In Action.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Charles served as a First Lieutenant & Bombardier on B-24-D "Madame Libby The Sea Ducer" #42-40838, 868th Bomber Squadron, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. The 868th was not a part of any Bomber Group but served as a unit on their own.
He resided in Fairfield County, Connecticut prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on September 19, 1941, prior to the war, at Fort H. G. Wright, Fisher Island, New York. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in a Professional occupation and also as Single, without dependents.
Charles was declared "Missing In Action" when his B-24 failed to return from a volunteer mission over Truk during the war. It is unknown if they crashed on the land or into the sea.
He was awarded an Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters and a Purple Heart.
Service # O-662233
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24-D (#42-40838):
Ames, Charles F, Jr, 1st Lt, Bombardier, CT
Beatty, Robert L, S/Sgt, Radar Operator, MD
Bowden, Charles R, 1st Lt, Co-Pilot, OH
Esrock, Yale A, T/Sgt, Radio Operator, MO
Haynes, Wilmer B, 1st Lt, Pilot, GA
Peden, Thomas J, Jr., S/Sgt, Asst. Radar Operator, NY
Preye, Frederick E, S/Sgt, Asst. Engineer, NJ
Terpstra, John H, T/Sgt, Engineer, NY
Westerland, Gerard R, 1st Lt, Navigator, IL
Whittschack, Rudolph H., S/Sgt, Gunner, NY
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Charles served as a First Lieutenant & Bombardier on B-24-D "Madame Libby The Sea Ducer" #42-40838, 868th Bomber Squadron, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. The 868th was not a part of any Bomber Group but served as a unit on their own.
He resided in Fairfield County, Connecticut prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on September 19, 1941, prior to the war, at Fort H. G. Wright, Fisher Island, New York. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in a Professional occupation and also as Single, without dependents.
Charles was declared "Missing In Action" when his B-24 failed to return from a volunteer mission over Truk during the war. It is unknown if they crashed on the land or into the sea.
He was awarded an Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters and a Purple Heart.
Service # O-662233
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24-D (#42-40838):
Ames, Charles F, Jr, 1st Lt, Bombardier, CT
Beatty, Robert L, S/Sgt, Radar Operator, MD
Bowden, Charles R, 1st Lt, Co-Pilot, OH
Esrock, Yale A, T/Sgt, Radio Operator, MO
Haynes, Wilmer B, 1st Lt, Pilot, GA
Peden, Thomas J, Jr., S/Sgt, Asst. Radar Operator, NY
Preye, Frederick E, S/Sgt, Asst. Engineer, NJ
Terpstra, John H, T/Sgt, Engineer, NY
Westerland, Gerard R, 1st Lt, Navigator, IL
Whittschack, Rudolph H., S/Sgt, Gunner, NY
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was not officially declared as being dead by the military until February 20, 1946. The above date is the official military date of when the entire crew was declared as Missing In Action.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Charles served as a First Lieutenant & Bombardier on B-24-D "Madame Libby The Sea Ducer" #42-40838, 868th Bomber Squadron, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. The 868th was not a part of any Bomber Group but served as a unit on their own.
He resided in Fairfield County, Connecticut prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on September 19, 1941, prior to the war, at Fort H. G. Wright, Fisher Island, New York. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in a Professional occupation and also as Single, without dependents.
Charles was declared "Missing In Action" when his B-24 failed to return from a volunteer mission over Truk during the war. It is unknown if they crashed on the land or into the sea.
He was awarded an Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters and a Purple Heart.
Service # O-662233
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24-D (#42-40838):
Ames, Charles F, Jr, 1st Lt, Bombardier, CT
Beatty, Robert L, S/Sgt, Radar Operator, MD
Bowden, Charles R, 1st Lt, Co-Pilot, OH
Esrock, Yale A, T/Sgt, Radio Operator, MO
Haynes, Wilmer B, 1st Lt, Pilot, GA
Peden, Thomas J, Jr., S/Sgt, Asst. Radar Operator, NY
Preye, Frederick E, S/Sgt, Asst. Engineer, NJ
Terpstra, John H, T/Sgt, Engineer, NY
Westerland, Gerard R, 1st Lt, Navigator, IL
Whittschack, Rudolph H., S/Sgt, Gunner, NY
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Charles served as a First Lieutenant & Bombardier on B-24-D "Madame Libby The Sea Ducer" #42-40838, 868th Bomber Squadron, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. The 868th was not a part of any Bomber Group but served as a unit on their own.
He resided in Fairfield County, Connecticut prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on September 19, 1941, prior to the war, at Fort H. G. Wright, Fisher Island, New York. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in a Professional occupation and also as Single, without dependents.
Charles was declared "Missing In Action" when his B-24 failed to return from a volunteer mission over Truk during the war. It is unknown if they crashed on the land or into the sea.
He was awarded an Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters and a Purple Heart.
Service # O-662233
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24-D (#42-40838):
Ames, Charles F, Jr, 1st Lt, Bombardier, CT
Beatty, Robert L, S/Sgt, Radar Operator, MD
Bowden, Charles R, 1st Lt, Co-Pilot, OH
Esrock, Yale A, T/Sgt, Radio Operator, MO
Haynes, Wilmer B, 1st Lt, Pilot, GA
Peden, Thomas J, Jr., S/Sgt, Asst. Radar Operator, NY
Preye, Frederick E, S/Sgt, Asst. Engineer, NJ
Terpstra, John H, T/Sgt, Engineer, NY
Westerland, Gerard R, 1st Lt, Navigator, IL
Whittschack, Rudolph H., S/Sgt, Gunner, NY
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
