WWII STALAG LUFT III POW Postcard 8th AAF 385th Bomb Group WW2 Oct '44

Description: This postcard is a unique piece of history from October1944 WWII. It is from B-17 Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. Eugene StJohn from New York, New York. It features a message from a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft III, a notorious camp for captured Allied airmen. The card was sent by a member of the 8th Air Force's 385th Bomb Group, who were known for their daring raids over Germany. The front of the card displays a stamp and postmark of August 5, 1944 but was mailed sometime around May 4th, 1944. This was sent home to loved ones after being received by the Red Cross. This item is a must-have for collectors of postal history and WWII memorabilia. See my other auctions for more WWII items! Background on 2nd Lieutenant Eugene E StJohnHe was assigned to the United States Army Air Force's 385th Bomb Group, 550th Bomb Squadron as a B-17 Co-Pilot. The plane that he co-piloted was a B17 "F" Model named "Clarissa Jean. The B-17 had a production number of 42-0662 and was made on 7/7/43. It was assigned to Great Ashfield in Elmswell England. Summary of the loss of B-17 "Clarissa Jean"The "Clarissa Jean" was shot down by ME110's and JU88's on mission number 67 flown against Rockstock Germany on February 24thy 1944. The town of Rockstock had a factory that produced Heinkel aircraft. During that battle the B=17 crashed into the Baltic Sea off Rugen Island after the crew had bailed out. The pilot was never found and thought that he did not have time to parachute out. The Official USAAF Report of Mission 67Mission: No. 67 of the 385 Bomb GroupDate: 24 February 1944Target: RostockAir Craft Flown: 33Losses: 3 Aircraft1-McLlveen, 42-31349, Stars and Stripes, @nd Edition, crashed in Germany, 2 KIA, 8 POW, MACR 27772-Terrace, 42-303662, Clarissa Jean, crashed in Germany, 1 KIA, 9 POW, MACR 27783- Johnson in 42-31746 crash landed at Honington on return.

Price: 35.96 USD

Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois

End Time: 2024-12-03T17:06:27.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD