World War II Honoree

George H. Neilson

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Medford, Massachusetts

Honored By

Robert P. Neilson

Relationship

Son

B-17 pilot/co-pilot with 340th Bomb Squadron, 97th Bomb Group, 5th Wing, 15th U.S. AIR FORCE, Foggia, Italy. AS 2nd/1st LIEUTENANT, HE flew 28 combat missions from December, 1944-April, 1945, including Balkan Air Campaign, Po Valley Campaign, and Apennine Campaign. Received 3 Air medals and Distinguished Flying Cross. Major targets included Brux, Blechhammer, Vienna, Ruhland, Bologna, and Linz. Missions included oil refineries, rail marshalling yards, airfields, and tactical support of 5th Army in NORTHERN Italy. HE AND THE crew ditched A B-17 in THE Adriatic off THE COAST OF VIS, 9 March 1945 returning from A bomb run on Graz, Austria. The entire crew was rescued by Yugoslav Partisans, returned to Foggia, and survived the war.