Rank and Name, Second Lieutenant Victor T. Turrou.
Unit/Placed in, 66th Bomber Squadron, 44th Bomber Group ”The Flying Eight balls” (Heavy).
Victor was born approx. on 1919 in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Mother, Teresa (Zakrzewski) Turrou ( 1942).
Brother, Edward A. Turrou (2011).
Victor enlisted the service at New York with serial number # O-738948.
Victor T. Turrou was a 2nd Lieutenant (Bombardier)in the 66th Bomber Squadron .
Victor‘s Crew-members and their position on-board the plane a B-24 were,
2nd Lt. Rocco A. Curelli Pilot
2nd Lt. John G. Papadopulos Co-Pilot
2nd Lt. Walter Rossi jr. Navigator
2nd Lt. Victor T. Torrou Bombardier
T/Sgt. Grinde John H. Engineer
T/Sgt. Wesley L. Zimmerman Radio Operator
S/Sgt. Ela L. Deforest Asst Radio Operator
S/Sgt. Raymond C. Shafer Asst. Engineer
S/Sgt. John R. Hughes Top Turret Gunner
S/Sgt. Harper F. Zoller jr. Waist Gunner
Victor was KIA in Ruoti, Italy when his plane exploded midair on Aug. 16, 1943, he is honored with the Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, WW II Victory Medal.
Victor is buried at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial, Nettuno, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy.
Thanks to http://www.8thairforce.com/44thbg/
Jean Louis Vijgen, ww2-Pacific.com and ww2-europe.com.
Air Force Info, Rolland Swank.
ABMC Website, https://abmc.gov
Marines Info, https://missingmarines.com/ Geoffrey Roecker
Seabees History Bob Smith https://seabeehf.org/
Navy Info, http://navylog.navymemorial.org
POW Info, http://www.mansell.com Dwight Rider and Wes injerd.
Philippine Info, http://www.philippine-scouts.org/ Robert Capistrano
National Historian
Navy Seal Memorial, http://www.navysealmemorials.com
Family Info, https://www.familysearch.org
Info, https://www.pacificwrecks.com/
Medals Info, https://www.honorstates.org
Website, https://hendrikswebdesign.nl/
Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com
Tank Destroyers, http://www.bensavelkoul.nl/
Luck Lady
Pilot and 2nd Lt. R. Curelli and crew were newly arrived replacements, and like several others lost on this mission, were on only their second mission. The MACR states that this plane was hit by flak over the target. While in a spin, it was attacked by enemy aircraft. Three to five chutes were seen to open. Later Glenn C. Hickerson [the tail gunner on the Austin crew, who was for a time a POW at Bari, Italy until he escaped] stated that all of the crew were killed except Zimmerman, who eventually returned to the 44th BG on 4 November 1943. Sgt. Zimmerman, radio operator on this crew, sent this description, “Contrary to the MACR report, I do not recall our ship being hit by flak. After passing over the target and dropping our bombs, one of the engines went out due to an extreme oil leak. When this #3 engine failed and we fell out of formation, that is when we were hit by enemy fighters. After several direct hits from the fighters, we tried to get out of the plane, but could not. The main hydraulic system would not operate, and we couldn’t get the bomb bay doors open in order to jump. “At that point, Sgt. Grinde, engineer, went out the sliding door to the bomb bay without a parachute on, to try to open the bomb bay doors manually. This was the time that the ship went into a dive or spin and the sliding door came down and we could not get out. Since I was on the flight deck I don’t know if any of the crew in the rear got out before the plane exploded. But when it did explode – which I think was caused by the fire in that burning engine reaching the gas tanks – I was somehow blown clear, and opened my chute and came down safely. I had several small cuts on my head and arms, and was black and blue over most of my body for two or three weeks. “I was taken prisoner by the Italians and was in several camps before escaping and returning to Africa – and later back to England; and then the States. “Also, contrary to the reports, I saw only one other chute and that landed several hundred yards from where I did. I went to it and it was Lt. Curelli. He was badly torn up and was dead.” Two men in the town of Ruoti, Italy, stated that the plane seemed to partly explode in mid-air and several crew members were seen to parachute from the plane. When these two men arrived at the scene of the crash and landing parachutists, they saw several civilians taking many articles, such as watches, rings and even identifications papers from the bodies. Only five of the nine bodies could be identified due to these thefts. They were: Lts. Curelli and Papadopulos; Sgts. Hughes, Grinde, and Shafer.
