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John J. Boyle

Navigator · 328th Squadron

HometownSwallowers School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, PA

1st Lt. John J. Boyle served as pilotage navigator and observer on B-24J 42-100294 on the 24 June 1944 mission to Dreux Airdrome, France.

Boyle was the first man to bail out of the burning aircraft. Parts of the burning aircraft fell on his open parachute. He was reported buried by French civilians approximately 20 kilometers south of Dreux, France, per information from a French priest.

The E&E report notes Lt. Boyle was reported as a POW by a helper, though casualty questionnaire narratives indicate he may have been killed by burning debris on his parachute. His next of kin was his mother, Mrs. May R. Boyle.

Prisoner of WarPASSED 24 JUN 1944

Sortie Log

7 CATALOGUED SORTIES
24 FEB 1944 — 24 JUN 1944

The sorties 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.

8AF Mission

Date

Target

Aircraft

Beaver's Baby42-99994

Beaver's Baby42-99994

Willie's Worry42-100428

Dreux Airdrome, France

B-24J serial 42-100294 was the lead aircraft on a mission to Dreux Airdrome, France on 24 June 1944. The plane was piloted by Captain Norman A. Roggenkamp, with Lt. Col. Clarence R. Porter aboard as acting commander. Over the target at approximately 0840 hours, the aircraft received a direct burst of flak in the bomb bay, causing a series of explosions. The plane broke up in the air at approximately 21,000 feet altitude. Witnesses reported seeing the bomb bay catch fire, bombs dropping, and then the aircraft swinging out of formation before exploding. The only recognizable part observed was the right outer panel spiraling down. Wreckage came down approximately 20 kilometers south of Dreux, France. Between two and five parachutes were observed. The crash site was near an airfield at Trron, south of Dreux. German capture records (KW Case Nr. 2371) confirm the aircraft was shot down at Air Base Dreux on 24 June 1944 at 0840. Of the 11 crew, 5 were killed, 5 returned to U.S. military control, and 1 was a prisoner of war. Report prepared by 1st Lt. George J. Meisel on 28 June 1944.

Victory Belle42-100294

Dreux Airdrome, France

B-24J serial 42-100294 was the lead aircraft on a mission to Dreux Airdrome, France on 24 June 1944. The plane was piloted by Captain Norman A. Roggenkamp, with Lt. Col. Clarence R. Porter aboard as acting commander. Over the target at approximately 0840 hours, the aircraft received a direct burst of flak in the bomb bay, causing a series of explosions. The plane broke up in the air at approximately 21,000 feet altitude. Witnesses reported seeing the bomb bay catch fire, bombs dropping, and then the aircraft swinging out of formation before exploding. The only recognizable part observed was the right outer panel spiraling down. Wreckage came down approximately 20 kilometers south of Dreux, France. Between two and five parachutes were observed. The crash site was near an airfield at Trron, south of Dreux. German capture records (KW Case Nr. 2371) confirm the aircraft was shot down at Air Base Dreux on 24 June 1944 at 0840. Of the 11 crew, 5 were killed, 5 returned to U.S. military control, and 1 was a prisoner of war. Report prepared by 1st Lt. George J. Meisel on 28 June 1944.

Victory Belle42-100294

Target unrecorded

On 24 June 1944 the aircraft was hit by a direct flak strike in the nose at approximately 21,000 feet altitude. The nose caught fire immediately and the plane blew up. The aircraft departed Hardwick at approximately 0530 and the loss occurred in the vicinity of Tréon, south of Dreux, France. Approximately seven crew members bailed out. The plane blew up in the air before striking the ground. According to the bombardier, Capt. Schilling, the pilot, co-pilot, top turret gunner, and nose gunner were observed in the plane and were likely killed before or during the explosion.

§ Interment

Cemetery

Normandy American Cemetery

Location

B 20 5