Supports 4 facts
Escape and Evasion Report 1801
Military Record · United States Army Air Forces · 1943 · Escape and Evasion Reports
The Man Behind the Name
§ Biography
S/Sgt James R. Vest served as waist gunner on the August 1, 1943 Ploesti mission. Reed listed him as 'freed.' Vest was wounded; his face was bleeding before the bailout. His parachute opened successfully.
After landing, Vest was brought to Reed at a house while both were prisoners of Romanian forces. Both men were told that Lt. Warner was alive. Vest was eventually freed, most likely after Romania's surrender in August 1944, and returned to duty.
Service record.
§ As Catalogued
Rank
Staff Sergeant
Position
Waist Gunner
Missions flown.
4 catalogued · 01 Aug 1943 — 01 Aug 1943
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.
Read the records.
1 document
Original documents behind what this page says about this airman — reports, records, and histories the archive holds and is free to reproduce. Check the sources for yourself.
Sources.
§ Provenance
United States Army Air Forces · National Archives and Records Administration · 1943
Official record
United States Army Air Forces · National Archives and Records Administration · 1943
Official record
United States Army Air Forces · National Archives and Records Administration · 1943
Official record