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John W. Shaw

Gunner

Sgt. John W. Shaw served as gunner aboard B-24D 41-24298 with the 409th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. He was reported missing in action on November 13, 1943 during the mission to Bremen. He is referenced in post-war follow-up correspondence from May 1946, indicating continued investigation into his fate.

Shaw's body was recovered on November 14, 1943, washed ashore at Norddorf on the Isle of Amrum. He was 5 feet 8 to 6 feet tall, with brown hair. He was equipped with a parachute that had not opened; death was attributed to probable drowning. Personal effects included an escape bag, two escape maps, gold rings, and Belgian, French, and Dutch currency. He was identified via one identification tag and was buried at the New Cemetery of Nebel/Amrum, Grave No. 57.

Killed in Action

Sortie Log

1 CATALOGUED SORTIE
13 NOV 1943

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
№ 130
13 NOV 1943
BremenP/A
B-24D serial 41-24298 was lost on 13 November 1943 during a bombing mission to Bremen. The aircraft departed AAF Station 104 with a crew of eleven. Last known position was 5520N 0830E at 1120 hours. Captain Russell D. Demont, pilot of aircraft #869Q, reported that Capt. Gewehr's aircraft began following him when he aborted at 1118 hours at 5520N 0830E. Upon realizing his error, crew members believed Gewehr turned back to rejoin the formation. Around the same time a B-24 was observed under attack by enemy aircraft, with one crew reporting that engine #2 was on fire and the aircraft entered cloud in a flat spin with two parachutes seen. Another account described part of the wing as missing. Poor visibility and distance from the formation made positive identification uncertain. A German military record dated 24 November 1943 from the Hornum/Sylt air base documents the recovery of six corpses of American airmen during the period 19 October to 24 November 1943. Bodies of crew members washed ashore on the Isle of Amrum 13-14 November 1943 and were buried at the New Cemetery of Nebel/Amrum. Sortie documented in both MACR-2189 and MACR-2190.
41-24298