668th BS Patch

416th Bombardment Group (L)

Sgt. Joseph Merlin Harris

Airplane Armorer - Gunner,  37126176

Prisoner Of War

668th Bombardment Squadron (L)

WWII-Medal

Return to Table of Contents          Return to POW/Evader Index



  Born: 1-Jan-1920, Parnell, Missouri

Entered Military Service: Date: 28-May-1942 At: Ft. Leavenworth, KS

POW summary:
Fail to Return Date: 7-Oct-1944
Captured: 8-Oct-1944 16:40, At Kordel, County Trier
POW Camp: Stalag Luft 4 Gross-Tychow (formerly Heydekrug) Pomerania, Prussia (moved to Wobbelin Bei Ludwigslust) (To Usedom Bei Savenmunde) 54-16
Return Date: 29-May-1945
NARA WW II POW Data File Latest Report Date: 29-May-1945
NARA WW II POW Data File ID: 34405 / (PDF)

Died: 22-Feb-1995, Orange, California

On-line Memorials:
National World War II Registry
Find-A-Grave



MACR 9222 Details



Notes:
A/C Seen to Crash. Lost as a result of Enemy Anti-Aircraft. Acft received flak hit on canopy behind pilot. Seen to crash west of Trier, Germany. Three parachutes observed. Nickname of A/C: "Candace Ann"

Description:
The plane piloted by 2nd Lt John B. Saidla was hit behind the pilot's canopy and dropped away from the formation. Crewmen reported seeing three parachutes emerge from the plane and land on the west side of the town of Trier. His gunners were Sergeants A. F. Cavanaugh and J. M. Harris.
(416th BG History 1944)

See also Mission # 153




Photos and Documents
Yearbook
1939 Abraham Lincoln HS, Council Bluffs, IA
Yearbook Portrait
1939 Abraham Lincoln HS, Council Bluffs, IA
1940 US Census
WW II Draft Registration
01-Jul-1941
WW II Draft Registration
01-Jul-1941
Newspaper Clipping
Council Bluffs Nonpareil
29-Nov-1943
Newspaper Clipping
Council Bluffs Nonpareil
16-Jul-1944
Newspaper Clipping
Council Bluffs Nonpareil
28-Jul-1944
Newspaper Clipping
Council Bluffs Nonpareil
29-Jul-1944
MACR Capture document
MACR Capture document
Newspaper Clipping
Council Bluffs Nonpareil
07-Nov-1944
WW II Jewish Servicemen Card
Newspaper Clipping
The Des Moines Register
07-Jun-1945
Newspaper Clipping
The Des Moines Register
07-Jun-1945
Merlin & Kathleen Cashman Harris, Cashman Family Reunion, July 1947, Austin, Minnesota
WW II Bonus Case File
WW II Bonus Case File
Headstone
WW II Honoree



See Also:
Prisoner Of War (POW) Camps
Escape & Evasion (E&E) Reports
POW/E&E Terms and Acronyms
POW/E&E Sources, References, Resources