John B. Leverone                                                                                  Updated:  08 JAN 2012    

Airman: o888551.htm Surname: Leverone Init: J B Rank: 2ndLt Service: USAAF Sqdn: 560

P_link: p239.htm Plane: B17 42-30371 Operation: Bomb G Crash_site: North Sea off Fanø

Crash_d: d091043 Buried_d: o888 C_link: o888.htm At_Next: POW

"Den 9. oktober 1943 angreb USAAF med 378 4-motorede bombefly flyfabrikker i den østlige del af Polen og Østpreussen, samt havnefaciliteter i Gdynia (her) og
Danzig. Både på udturen og hjemturen passerede formationerne Danmark, hvor tyske jagermaskiner angreb bomberne." (FAF) Styrtede måske omkring her.

"Dette fly blev ramt af jagere (Bf 109) som holdt sig ude af vores formation og rækkevidde bagude og smed granater ind i formationen. Flyet gik brændende ned og eksploderede lige inden det ramte vandet. 5 faldskærme blev set og de drev åbenbart tilbage mod land. Brand i radiorum og bomberum. Left Waist Gunner (Caruso)
skudt i benet. Næste morgen ved den tyske forpost nær kysten hvor vi blev tilbageholdt fortalte den kommanderende underofficer os (Antalek, Caruso og mig (Dugan)
at et par lig var skyllet ind på kysten i nattens løb, men han ville ikke afsløre navnene hvis de kendte dem. Kan være Quinn og Blankenburg siden ingen af dem kunne svømme. Caruso: Jeg så flyet gå ned og eksplodere da det ramte vandet. Jeg svømmede hen til en revle og blev samlet op af tyskerne efter omkring en time i vandet." (MACR - Rapport om savnet flybesætning)

2nd Lieutenant John Bast Leverone var Navigator på B17 42-30371. (Kilde: MACR) Han blev krigsfange og ført til Tyske krigsfangelejre.

Se Tegning af besætningen på en B-17, Foto af en B-17 + B-17 i airmen.dk samt B-17 Ball Turret, Ammunition og Ball Turret Gunner. 10 flyvere.

"On 9 October 1943 USAAF attacked aircraft factories in the eastern part of Poland and East Prussia together with harbour facilities in Gdynia (here) and Danzig
with 378 4-engined bombers. Both on the way out and on the way home the formations passed Denmark, where German fighters attacked the bombers." (FAF)
Crashed maybe about here.

"This A/C was hit by fighters (Bf 109) which stayed out of our formation and range on the tail and lobbed shells into the formation. It went down on fire and exploded
just before it hit the water. Five chutes were seen which apparently were drifting back onto land. Fires in radio room and bomb bay. Left Waist Gunner (Caruso) shot
in leg. At the German outpost near the coast where we were kept on the following morning the N.C.O. in charge told us (Antalek, Caruso and I (Dugan)) that a couple
of bodies had been washed upon shore during the night, but would not reveal the names if they knew. May be Quinn and Blankenburg since neither could swim.
Caruso: I saw the plane go down and blow up when it hit the water. I swam to a sandbar and was picked up by the Germans after about an hour in the water." (MACR)

2nd Lieutenant John Bast Leverone was the Navigator of B17 42-30371. (Source: MACR) He became a prisoner of war. He was
taken to German POW-Camps.

See a drawing of the crew of a B-17, Photo of  a B-17 + B-17s in airmen.dk and B-17 Ball Turret, Ammunition and the story of a Ball Turret Gunner.
This B-17 from RAF Knettishall - USAAF Station 136 belonged to 560 BS, 388 BG, 45 CBW, 3 BD, 8AF of USAAF. See 388th Bomb Group Association. 10 airmen.