Memorial

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S/Sgt James J. Dumm Jr. attended Roosevelt High School and Fort Wayne High School and was employed at the Haller Bakery.

He volunteered for the Army of the United States in Altoona, Pennsylvania on 1 June 1942. He trained at Keesler field, Mississippi, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Pulman, Washington, leaving for overseas duty in April 1943.
He was part of a B-26 crew that went down in a friendly fire accident on 31 May 1945 while conducting live fire practice in preparation for transfer to the Pacific theatre. The aircraft crashed when its tail was shot off by its own top turret gunner.

The crew had completed 35 combat missions.

Sgt Dumm was a radio-operator-gunner and served aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress and a B-29 Super Fortress. He was wounded on 13 June 1944 over Kiel, Germany when 200 German planes attacked the Flying Fortresses which were lucky enough to reich their target. In Jimmy's plane, one man was killed and he was one of four wounded. He received a bullet in the hip and was also hit by several anti-aircraft shell fragments.

On 22 May 1944 his engagement to an English girl, Olive Elsbury, was announced and he informed his parents to be sure to contact her in case he met with a mishap. They never married. Olive is 92 years old and lives in the UK (May 2020).