Granville E. Meseke.
Tail Gunner · 409th Squadron · Of Vandalia, IL.
The Man Behind the Name
Joined 93rd Bomb Group at Ft. Myers; crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Elizabeth with some 19,000 troops. Assigned as tail gunner on Little Lady. On first mission, hit by fighters and lost the left rudder to 20mm cannon fire but made it home. Most memorable mission was Ploesti, Aug. 1, 1943 — their plane tipped up on a wing to avoid a fireball, flew so low trees waved in their propwash. After Ploesti, headed for Turkey and made a forced landing, overrunning the end of the runway.
Service record.
Missions flown.
The missions below are those we have been able to document for this airman, drawn from flight logs, mission records, and archival sources. It is not necessarily a complete account of every mission flown; gaps may reflect missing documentation, transferred assignments, or records lost to time.
Before and after.
Born May 13, 1921 in Vandalia, IL. Entered USAAC Jan. 6, 1942 as aircraft armorer gunner 612. Basic at Sheppard Field, TX; Armorer School at Lowry Field, CO. Joined 93rd Bomb Group at Ft. Myers, FL.
Discharged June 4, 1945 at Camp Beale, CA as staff sergeant. Received two Distinguished Flying Crosses, four Air Medals, seven Campaign Stars, two Presidential Unit Citations, and other medals. Married Aileen Bridge on Feb. 27, 1946; two sons, two daughters, seven grandchildren. Retired from Civil Service (Navy) since 1980.