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Thaddeus Crump

See Document 1, page 2 for award of DFC's for 301st BG

See Document 2 for award of DFC on GO 2849

As part of the Veterans History Project for the American Folklife Center of The Library of Congress, Thaddeus Crump of the 301st BG 352nd BS generously contributed the following:

Thaddeus Crump

Biographical Infomation

Name: Thaddeus Talley Crump

Date of Birth:

Place of Birth: Richmond, VA

Gender: Male

Race: Unspecified

Home State: VA

War or Conflict: World War II, 1939-1946

Status: Veteran

Dates of Service: 1942-1945

Entrance into Service: Enlisted

Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps

Unit of Service: 352nd Bomb Squadron, 301st Bomb Group, 15th Air Force

Location of Service: Miami Beach, Florida; Cleveland, Ohio; Nashville and Dyersburg, Tennessee; Montgomery, Alabama; Cape Girardeau, Missouri; Stuttgart, Arkansas; Lockbourne Air Base, Ohio; Foggia, Italy

Highest Rank: First Lieutenant

Prisoner of War: No

Service Related Injury: No

Service History Note:

Collection Information

Type of Resource: Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] --Typewritten document Video: Hi-8/Digital 8 [1 item] --Oral history interview Manuscript: Memoirs [1 item] Video: DVD [1 item] --Reference copy

Interviewer: Leslie Wagner

Donor: Eric Cantor

Donor Affiliation/Organization: U.S. House of Representatives/Eric Cantor - Congressional Veteran Commendation

Collection #: AFC/2001/001/ 32656

Subjects: Crump, Thaddeus World War II, 1939-1946 -- Personal Narratives United States. Army Air Forces/Corps..

Cite as: Thaddeus Crump Collection (AFC/2001/001/32656), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/32656

Memories

When the 301st settled down near Foggia, it occupied space within a grove of olive trees. The 32nd was on one perimeter and the 419th on the other. Sandwiched between were the 353rd and 352nd. While I never personally investigated, I presume each of the squadrons, as with the 352nd, had Armed Forces Radio piped into tents via a wire connected to a radio in the orderly room and attached to headsets. I had not arrived when this arrangement was conceived and implemented, but the tent where I lived was so equipped. Sometime near VE Day, and I don't recall exactly when, word came down that on a particular date, a detail would move throughout the area and headsets would be removed from tents. The collection process started with the 32nd. Early that morning, headsets began migrating just ahead of the detail. When the detail entered the 419th, headsets had moved safely across the area back into the 32nd. The detail did find some headsets, but by evening, most had been reconnected, and listeners were again enjoying Armed Forces Radio.

Standing (l to r): S/Sgt. George Turner (TX), Ball Turret; S/Sgt. James Sennish (OH), Tail Gunner; S/Sgt. Adam Gawlick (NJ), Waist Gunner; T/Sgt. John Pasayan (TN), Engineer, Upper Turret; T/Sgt. Harold Overfors (MN), Radio Operator

Kneeling (l to r): 2nd Lt. Thaddeus Crump (VA), Pilot; F/O Alfred Birkner (TX), Co-Pilot; 2nd Lt. Gilbert Nesch, (WI), Navigator; 2nd Lt. Gilbert Johnson (NB), Bombardier.

B- 17 Bomber Crew 7355 assembled for first time Lincoln, NB, Aug. 4, 1944. Photo taken at Dyersburg (Tenn) Army Air Field in Sept. 1944. Flew out of US Oct. 31, 1944 to Gander, Newfoundland , to Azores, Africa, into Italy. Reported to 301st BG, 352nd Sq. Nov. 9, 1944. Flew out of Italy June 10, 1945 to Africa, S. America, to South Palm Beach, Fla. June 25. Had eight - day delay en route for engine change. Transported to Savannah, GA, disbanded June 26,1945.

Bob Bluford (R) and I (L) met on February 25, 1943 when we reported for active duty with what was then the Army Air Corps. The two of us have been close friends ever since. Thad served in the 301st BG and Bob served in the 8th AF.

On October 21, 2011, Thad flew in the B-17 from Lynchburg to Richmond, part of the program sponsored by the Collins Foundation. Bob flew in the B-24 on the same trip. Bob, this past May, was named The Virginia Man of the Year by the Virginia Press Association.

1st Lt. Thaddeus T Crump was assigned to the 301st BG 352nd Squadron.
Military Occupational Specialty (MOS): Pilot.

The following information on Thaddeus Crump is gathered and extracted from military records. We have many documents and copies of documents, including military award documents. It is from these documents that we have found this information on 1st Lt. Crump. These serviceman's records are nowhere near complete and we are always looking for more material. If you can help add to Thaddeus Crump's military record please contact us.

	Rank	General Order	Date	Award
Thaddeus Crump	2nd Lt	73	01/04/1945	AM
Thaddeus Crump	1st Lt.	1485	03/17/1945	AM/OLC
Thaddeus Crump	1st Lt.	2712	04/24/1945	AM/2OLC
Thaddeus Crump	1st Lt.	2849	04/29/1945	DFC