World War II Honoree

John Mitchell

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Fairfield County, Connecticut

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: 2ND LIEUTENANT. HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE ARMY AIR CORPS JANUARY 30, 1943. SERVED AS A B-17 ‘FLYING FORTRESS’ BOMBER PILOT ASSIGNED TO THE 364TH BOMB SQUADRON, 305TH BOMB GROUP, 40TH COMBAT WING, U.S. 8TH AIR FORCE ‘MIGHTY EIGHTH’. HIS UNIT WAS BASED AT THE CHELVESTON ROYAL AIR FORCE STATION IN ENGLAND, UNITED STATES ARMY AIR FORCE STATION #105. HE WAS KILLED IN ACTION SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1944 WHEN HIS BOMBER COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER ‘FLYING FORTRESS’ OVER THURLEIGH, ENGLAND. BOTH AIRCRAFT WERE RETURNING TO BASE FROM A BOMBING MISSION OVER HANOVER, GERMANY. A HEAVY OVERCAST AND POOR VISIBILITY WERE THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS THAT CAUSED THE MID-AIR COLLISION, WHICH TOOK THE LIVES OF 18 AIRMEN. HE WAS INTERRED IN ONE OF THREE BATTLEFIELD CEMETERIES IN ENGLAND AND AFTER THE CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES IN EUROPE, HIS REMAINS WERE RETURNED TO HIS FAMILY, FOR BURIAL IN THE PUTNAM CEMETERY, GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT.