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Personal info

Full name
GRIFFIN, Joseph Francis Jr
Date of birth
23 February 1919
Age
24
Place of birth
Woburn, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Hometown
Woburn, Middlesex County, Massachusetts

Military service

Service number
31092275
Rank
Technical Sergeant
Function
Radio Operator
Unit
333rd Bombardment Squadron,
94th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Distinguished Flying Cross,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster

Death

Status
Missing in Action
Date of death
17 July 1943
Place of death
Near Helgoland, Germany

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
Walls of the Missing

Immediate family

Members
Joseph F. Griffin (father)
Josephine A. (Barry) Griffin (mother)
John B. Griffin (brother)
Stephen J. Griffin (brother)
Mary J. Griffin (sister)

Plane data

Serial number
42-3219
Data
Type: B-17F
Nickname: Dear Mom
Destination: Hamburg, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the aircraft industry
MACR: 93

More information

T/Sgt Joseph F. Griffin, Jr graduated from Woburn High School.

Sgt Griffin survived an earlier crash on 13 June 1943 when the B-17, in which he was a crew member, had to ditch into the North Sea after a bombing raid over Kiel. The entire crew was then saved by a British destroyer.

The element originally designated to attack Hamburg was a combined force of 125 B-17's, but weather caused a recall of this formation. However 84 B-17's from 94BG (18), 95BG (23), 96BG (21) and 100BG (22) sighted a German ship convoy on the return. Only one B-17 from BG96 managed to drop on the convoy. Another segment of this formation, 385BG (21) and 388BG (20) attempted to bomb the Fokker aircraft factory at Amsterdam. Ao total of 22 aircraft attempted the bombing, but the results were highly scattered and 150 civilians were killed. 1 B-17 from 94BG, aircraft 42-3219, was shot down by enemy aircraft (2 engines were hit) near Helgoland, Germany.

The entire crew was killed. Every crew member, with the exception of waist gunner Everett A. Quimby is remembered on the Walls of the Missing at Margraten. We have no information why he isn't mentioned.

His brother John served in the U.S. Navy and Stephen in the Army.

Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Peter Schouteten, www.94thbombgroup.com, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.8thafhs.com, www.ancestry.com - Family Tree

Photo source: Peter Schouteten, www.findagrave.com - Leon Edmund Basile, The Boston Globe 7 August 1943