Thornburg, Joseph Austin

Individual Personnel Data
Name	Thornburg, Joseph Austin ‡ ⇗
Rank	Corporal / Staff Sergeant
Serial Number	19206714 ‡
Unit Assignments	Assigned to the 546th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #148 dated 26 July 1944, effective 26 July 1944.
Duty	Flexible Gunner / Tail Gunner
MOS	611 - Aerial Gunner
Last Duty Date	1 March 1945
Results	Completed Combat Tour
Additional Information	Date of Birth: 3 October 1925 Promoted to Sergeant per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #165 dated 17 August 1944. Promoted to Staff Sergeant effective 8 December 1944 per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #241 dated 8 December 1944. Ordered on seven days Temporary Duty to Phyllis Court, AAF Station 494 (a Flak house) on 23 December 1944 to carry out instructions of the Commanding General per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #252 dated 21 December 1944. Reclassified from MOS 611 to MOS 612 effective 11 February 1945 per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #34 dated 11 February 1945.

Crew Composition When Assigned to the 384th BG
Replacement Combat Crew
CREWMEMBER	POSITION	RESULTS
2nd Lt. Duesler, Donald Barton⇗	Pilot	CT
2nd Lt. Cook, Chandler Boyd⇗	Co-pilot	CT
2nd Lt. Rasmussen, Bernard Gerard⇗	Navigator	CT
2nd Lt. Fainberg, Seymour Allen⇗	Bombardier	CT
SGT. Stewart, John Spencer⇗	Radio Operator / Gunner	CT
SGT. Weckerly, Neuland Edwin⇗	Engineer / Top Turret Gunner	CT
CPL. Carriere, Joseph Herley⇗	Ball Turret Gunner	KIA
CPL. Buis, Robert Eugene⇗	Tail Gunner	CT
CPL. Downing, Everett Joseph⇗	Flexible Gunner	CT
CPL. Thornburg, Joseph Austin	Flexible Gunner	CT

Missions, Aircraft, Crews
This individual was credited with 35 Combat Missions.
Number	Date	Target	Position	Aircraft	Mission/Sortie Information
186⇗	30 August 1944	Target: NOBALL (V-1 Launch Site) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Crepieul, France	Waist (Flexible) Gunner	42‑97510⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
188⇗	5 September 1944	Target: I. G. Farben Chemical Works Type: Industry Location: Ludwigshafen, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑102933⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
189⇗	8 September 1944	Target: I. G. Farben Chemical Works Type: Industry Location: Ludwigshafen, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑97142⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
194⇗	13 September 1944	Target: Leuna Synthetic Oil Refinery Type: Oil Industry Location: Merseburg, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑97282⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
195⇗	17 September 1944	Target: Tank and Gun Concentrations, Tactical Type: Military Location: Eindhoven & 's‑Hertogenbosch (den Bosch), The Netherlands	Tail Gunner	42‑97510⇗	Combat Mission Credit D Squadron. Sortie Report⇗
196⇗	19 September 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Hamm, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑97251⇗	Combat Mission Credit Low Squadron. Sortie Report⇗
197⇗	21 September 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Mainz, Germany	Waist (Flexible) Gunner	42‑107148⇗	Combat Mission Credit Ground Spare Aircraft; replaced 42‑97251. Sortie Report⇗
202⇗	30 September 1944	Target: Handorf Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Münster, Germany	Tail Gunner	43‑38616⇗	Combat Mission Credit High group deputy. Hot camera ship. Sortie Report⇗
205⇗	5 October 1944	Type: Industry Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Togglier	42‑107121⇗	Combat Mission Credit Lead Squadron flying spare; joined formation and bombed target; dropped bombs late. Sortie Report⇗
208⇗	9 October 1944	Target: Ball-Bearing Plant Type: Bearings Industry Location: Schweinfurt, Germany	Togglier	43‑38548⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
209⇗	11 October 1944	Target: Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Wesseling, Germany	Togglier	43‑38548⇗	Combat Mission Credit Fourth Squadron. Sortie Report⇗
210⇗	14 October 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Saarbrücken, Germany	Togglier	42‑102500⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off Turned back due to mechanical failure. Sortie Report⇗
211⇗	15 October 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Togglier	43‑38548⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
212⇗	17 October 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Togglier	42‑107121⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
215⇗	25 October 1944	Target: Nordstern Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Tail Gunner	43‑38616⇗	Combat Mission Credit Lead Squadron. Sortie Report⇗
216⇗	30 October 1944	Target: Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Togglier	42‑102501⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
218⇗	2 November 1944	Target: Ruhr-Chemie A.G. Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Sterkrade (Holten), Germany	Waist (Flexible) Gunner	43‑38501⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
219⇗	4 November 1944	Target: Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Bottrop (Welheim), Germany	Togglier	43‑38588⇗	Combat Mission Credit High Squadron. Sortie Report⇗
220⇗	5 November 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany	Togglier	42‑102933⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
221⇗	6 November 1944	Target: Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Bottrop (Welheim), Germany	Togglier	43‑38588⇗	Combat Mission Credit High Squadron flying spare; joined formation. Sortie Report⇗
222⇗	8 November 1944	Target: Leuna Synthetic Oil Plant (visual aim point) Type: Oil Industry Location: Merseburg, Germany	Togglier	44‑8430⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
224⇗	10 November 1944	Target: Ostheim Airfield & Butzweilerhof Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Tail Gunner	43‑38016⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off 41C Group, Low Squadron Deputy. Gee-H ship. Turned back over France due to material failure; jettisoned bombs in open field in France. Sortie Report⇗
225⇗	11 November 1944	Target: Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Togglier	44‑8430⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
227⇗	20 November 1944	Target: Buer Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Togglier	42‑97251⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
231⇗	27 November 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Offenburg, Germany	Togglier	42‑97251⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
232⇗	29 November 1944	Target: Oil Refinery Type: Oil Industry Location: Misburg, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑97510⇗	Combat Mission Credit Returned one bomb. Sortie Report⇗
234⇗	2 December 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Oberlahnstein, Germany	Togglier	42‑97251⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
235⇗	4 December 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Soest, Germany	Togglier	42‑97251⇗	Combat Mission Credit Low Squadron flying spare; joined formation. Sortie Report⇗
236⇗	6 December 1944	Target: Leuna Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Merseburg, Germany	Togglier	42‑97309⇗	Combat Mission Credit Ground Spare Aircraft; replaced 42‑97251. Sortie Report⇗
238⇗	11 December 1944	Target: Road & Rail Bridge Type: Transportation Location: Mannheim, Germany	Togglier	42‑31484⇗	Combat Mission Credit Ground Spare Aircraft; replaced 42‑97251. Sortie Report⇗
249⇗	2 January 1945	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Gerolstein, Germany	Tail Gunner	43‑38994⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
255⇗	15 January 1945	Target: Neuburg Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Neuburg an der Donau, Germany	Waist (Flexible) Gunner	42‑102501⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
260⇗	23 January 1945	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Neuss, Germany	Togglier	43‑39060⇗	Combat Mission Credit Landed away at North Pickenham Airfield, AAF Station 143. Sortie Report⇗
261⇗	28 January 1945	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Togglier	43‑38766⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
267⇗	15 February 1945	Target: Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Bohlen, Germany	Togglier	42‑97510⇗	Low Squadron hot camera ship. Did not take off because bad weather halted flight operations. Sortie Report⇗
268⇗	19 February 1945	Target: Coking Plant Type: Industry Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Togglier	43‑38747⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
269⇗	20 February 1945	Target: Main Railroad Station Type: Transportation Location: Nuremberg / Nürnberg, Germany	Togglier	43‑39053⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
270⇗	21 February 1945	Target: Tank Factory Type: Industry Location: Nuremberg / Nürnberg, Germany	Togglier	43‑38747⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗

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