Last Known Activity
Albert F. Amiero was born in August, 1918 in Tampa, Florida. His parents were Adalberto F. and Ella Puffpaff Amiero. The US Census 1920 lists the family in Tampa, Florida.
No enlistment data has been located for Amiero, but given rank, training, and assignments, 1942 as an entry date is an assumptive choice. Sources state he entered from Illinois. He was trained as a pilot, and then transitioned into multi-engine aircraft. He was assigned to the newly-organized 100th Bomb Group, and given a crew for training. The crew trained in such diverse locations as Idaho, Utah, Texas, and Tennessee. The crew picked up a new B-17 and ferried it to England, arriving there on February 4, 1944.
Amiero was suffering in health, and all the original officers in the crew were transferred to other squadrons or duties. Any crew that came together for missions was a "pick-up" crew that included any spare officers or gunners. When he returned to duty from the hospital, Amiero, with new officers and a few original gunners flew at least 20 missions.
On March 6, 1944, the aircraft, Amiero, and a crew hastily-assembled, were to bomb the industrial complex outside Berlin, Germany. Over the target, the formation was attacked by numerous German aircraft. Raked by machine gun and cannon fire, the aircraft was severely damaged. The tail gunner was mortally wounded, and pulled from his position by other gunners. One of them volunteered to man the tail gun position.
A vicious explosion racked the crippled aircraft, and the tail assembly fell off. The new tail gunner "fluttered" to earth in his position. The Germans pulled him from the wreckage, alive but with severe injuries. He was in a hospital for almost a year before he was sent to a POW camp. He was the only survivor.
The dead were recovered from the wreckage which fell near Uptloh, Germany. Evidently, they were buried locally, because after the war ended, they were retrieved and moved to other cemeteries. Lt Amiero now lies in the Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium in Plot D, Row 11, Grave 7.
www.findagrave.com
www.abmc.gov
www.ancestry.com
www.fieldsofhonor-database.com/index
www.honorstates.org/index
www.americanbattlegraves.com/index
U Census 1920
|
|
Comments/Citation
Lt Albert F. Amiero was performing duty as First Pilot on B-17G # 42-31731, unnamed, assigned to the 349th Bomb Squadron.
Missing Air Crew Report 3019 applies to this loss. Crew rosters and mission logs show the crew aboard as:
1 Lt Albert F. Amiero p
F/O Howard L. Kilmer c-p
2 Lt Albert P. Rule nav
SSgt Thomas S. Elliott togg
TSgt Russell G. Gilbert eng/tt gun
TSgt John J. Kovacs r/o
SSgt Virgil F. Summers btg
SSgt Hobart H. Spires wg
SSgt Owen D, Stockton wg
SSgt Thomas D. Baer tail gun
Ranks and grades as of mission date. Sources state Amiero was promoted to Captain, but no confirmation has been found. (Headstone states 1 Lt.)
SSgt Stockton was the only survivor.
Service photo source:
www.findagrave.com
|
