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Personal info

Full name
JONES, Eugene Harry
Date of birth
6 January 1916
Age
27
Place of birth
Clarke County, Iowa
Hometown
Grand River, Clarke County, Iowa

Military service

Service number
37191544
Rank
Staff Sergeant
Function
Right Waist Gunner
Unit
333rd Bombardment Squadron,
94th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
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
William M. Jones (father)
Goldie G. (Carrel) Jones (mother)
Dale C. Jones (brother)
Iris L. Jones (sister)
Alice E. Jones (sister)
James W. Jones (brother)
Lilith (Wald) Jones (wife)

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

S/Sgt Jones enlisted in Apri, 1942, and was sent overseas on 1 May 1943.

He was previously a waist gunner in the Flying Fortress "Shackeroo", which limped howeward after weathering one of the most savage air battles of the war to bomb Kiel on 13 June 1943.

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.

Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Peter Schouteten, www.94thbombgroup.com, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - Family Trees / 1940 Census, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.8thafhs.com, www.newspapers.com - Carrol Daily Times Herald

Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Maria Jones Balbo