Last Known Activity
According to enlistment records at the National Archives, Gordon L. Amos was born in 1916 in Marion, Indiana. Sources indicate his parents were Thomas Leslie and Eilen Lorreta Amos. He enlisted at Fort Benjamin Harrison on July 16, 1941. His enlistment record shows he had completed 4 years of high school, was single with no dependents, and was employed in the stock clerk occupational group.
It is not known what training or assignments he received after enlisting. His first appearance in official records show he was a 2nd Lieutenant assigned to the 563rd Bomb Squadron of the 388th Bomb Group at Knettishall, England. He was assigned as navigator to the Lt. Bobbitt crew.
This crew flew three combat missions starting on July 17, 1943. On July 26, 1943, they were alerted for their 4th such mission. It was to be a raid on war facilities located at Hannover, Germany.
The target was reached and bombed, but on the turn off target, the formation was engaged by enemy fighters. Six B-17s, including Bobbitt's, were shot down. Five crew members bailed out but were captured. The remaining five were either killed in the attack or in the crash which occurred near Holtland, Germany.
German Luftwaffe records give credit for the shooting down of this aircraft to Oberleutnant Karl Becker, flying a FW-190 from JG 1/3.
Lt Amos was among those killed. Sources state he is buried in the Williams Creek Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.
www.388bg.org
www.accident-report.com/crews/alpha/namehite_hy.html
USSAC-USAAF Aircraft Inventory Report
388th Bomb Group mission reports
|
|
Comments/Citation
The aircraft involved was B-17F # 42-30208, unnamed, with no nose art and carrying only squadron designators.
Two Missing Air Crew Reports ( 3142 and 5386) were issued, and with mission loading lists, identifies the crew as:
2 Lt Aubrey M. Bobbitt p
2 Lt Peter P. McCahill c-p
2 Lt Gordon L. Amos nav
2 Lt Lawrence A. Wiegman bomb
TSgt Robert (NMI) Claybroun eng/tt gun
TSgt James L. Duncan r/o
SSgt Paul E. Warren btg
SSgt James (NMI) Langley wg
SSgt Lawrence R. Hopwood wg
SSgt William J. Hart tail gun
Lt Amos and Sgts Duncan, Warren, Langley, and Hopwood were the crew members killed.
The after-mission report from 388th Bomb Group has several errors concerning aircraft names and numbers. The aircraft with serial numbers 42-30198, 42-30202,42-30225, and 42-30208 are confused with one another, and aircraft names and crew commanders vary from the personnel lists in 388th Bomb Squadron records and other records.
|
