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His plane that day, Envy Of ‘em
All (AC# 42-50279), a Consolidated B-24H-20-CF
Liberator was shot down, on his crew’s 12th
mission on 13 Sep 44 at 1215 hrs by flak guns near Bingen,
after dropping 500-lb high explosive GP bombs on Hitler’s Messerschmitt Me
262 jet fighter final assy plant at Schwabisch Hall Airfield, Germany.
Six of the crew perished in the plane or
during bail-out: Odis L. Apple, Charles E. Vavra, Earl J. Propst, L. G.
Floyd, Bruce Forsberg (Bombardier), and Al E. Joynt, (Pilot).
Phipps was uninjured in his parachute jump and immediate
capture. After a brief confinement, including solitary at Dulag Luft (Oberusal),
he was held POW
(ID #5942) at
Stalag Luft 1 (northern Germany near Barth,
Pomerania) from 4 Oct 44 until 13 May 45 when the Russians liberated the
camp. His POW quarters included Compounds: North 1, Block 3, Room 10; North
3, Blk 6, Rm 6; and North 3, Blk 8, Rms 8 & 9.
The aircrew of 10 (under Pilot Al Joynt) had flown 8 other
planes on their earlier 11 missions listed below:
Liberty Belle
on the crew’s first
mission;
Axis Grinder;
GC-TEC–C
(42-51186);
AC155; AC231; Little Joe; Idiot’s Delight;
and Carol Ann.
For many years, he stayed in touch with the
three other crewmen who survived bail-out and were captured: Roy A. Smith,
Jr., Engineer; C. L. Hester, Waist Gunner; and Ed J. Taylor, Co-Pilot.
The Aircrew’s 12 Missions:
-
12 Aug 44 AC 42-50647 Liberty Belle
Juvincourt, France
-
13 Aug 44 AC 42-50623 Idiot’s Delight
Pont-Aude-Mur, France
-
14 Aug 44 AC 42-51186 GC TEC-C Lyon,
France
-
16 Aug 44 AC 44-7495 Axis Grinder
Kothen, Germany
-
18 Aug 44 AC 42-51238 Little Joe Nancy,
France
-
25 Aug 44 AC 231 ? Schwerin, Germany
-
26 Aug 44 AC 42-50647 Liberty Belle
Salzbergen, Germany
-
8 Sep 44 AC 42-50647 Liberty Belle
Karlshrue, Germany
-
9 Sep 44 AC 155 ? Mainz, Germany
-
10 Sep 44 AC 41-29448 Carol Ann Ulm,
Germany
-
12 Sep 44 AC 44-7495 Axis Grinder
Northeim, Germany
13 Sep 44 AC 42-50279
Envy Of ‘em All
Schwabisch-Hall, Germany
Service as Aviation Cadet
(Army SN 17132689)
St. Louis 12Nov42, enlistment
Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, MO, 2Feb43, Cadet training
Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA, 1Mar - 15May43, Pre-Flight
Course
Santa Ana, CA, 18May - 15June43
Ellington Field, TX, 18June -24Aug43
San Marcos, TX, late Aug - 23Dec43, Advanced Navigator
Training
Service as Commissioned Officer, 2nd
Lt: 24 Dec 43 to 12 Dec 45
Selman Field, LA,
14Jan - 28Feb44
Hammer Field, Fresno, CA, 13-30Mar44
Muroc, CA, 31Mar - 5Jun44, Combat Crew Training with 382 nd
BG
Embarked USS Mauretania 28Jun44 in Boston; arrived
Liverpool, England, 6Jul44
392nd
BG, 579th
Sqdn at Wendling Airfield, near
villages of Beeston and Wendling, Norfolk England
Shot down over Germany 13Sept44 on 12 th
mission : POW, Stalag Luft 1,
4Oct44 - 13May45
Liberated: evacuated to Camp Lucky Strike in France,
31May45, and shipped out of le Harve aboard USS Admiral Benson, 6Jun45;
arrived NY City, 12Jun45.
San Antonio, TX, 16Sep – 22Oct45 for processing and
reassignment. Terminal Leave 23Oct-12Dec45
Promoted to 1 st
Lt., 1Dec45
Service in USAF Reserves,
1st
Lt.:
2Feb46 - 1Apr53
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