GENERATION IX
John Stuart Daniels
b. February 27 1924, Pike Lake, Saint Louis County, Minnesota, d. July 19, 1997, Racine, WisconsinJohn Daniels served in the US Army Air Corps in WWII.
WWII Service Record:
Staff Sergeant 2539th Army Air Force Base Unit - Fosterfield, TexasJohn Daniels had originally intended to enter flight school and train as a pilot, however, he was surrounded by friends who persuaded him stay with them where they trained as tail gunners.
Service Overseas
John Daniels departed for his overseas assignment on March 21st and arrived September 10, 1944. For the next 6 months he served in the 15th Air Force, 304th Bomber Wing, 459th Bomber Group, 756th Bomber Squadron based at Giulia Field in Cerignola, Italy.
The 304th Bomber Wing was comprised of 454th, 455th, 456th, and 459th Bomber Groups. The 304th engaged primarily in strategic bombardment targeting oil refineries, munitions and aircraft factories, industrial areas, airfields, and communications centers. All groups flew B24 Liberators with tail markings that included a distinctive diamond on the top portion of the vertical stabilizer and a color or pattern on the bottom as seen in the illustration below.
In addition to the tail markings there were sharks teeth painted in the lower nose of the aircraft.
B 24 Crew
Daniels Back Row, Second From Left
Click on image to enlarge
John Daniels was credited with 52 Missions while he served in the 15th Air Force. Official records indicate he participated in attacks in Rome - Arno, the North Apennines, Southern France and the Rhineland.
Daniels B24 over Alps
Stars and Stripes Article
Daniels Worried About 4 Motors - Odertal, Germany Mission 12/17/1944
15th AAF In Italy: When two engines of a B-24 Liberator are shot out on a bombing mission, there is good reason for worrying about getting back to the home base, but when four go out, it usually means that it is too late for worrying. S/Sgt. John S Daniels, 20, a tail gunner from Windsor, Wis. did not have much time for anything when all of the engines of his B-24 Liberator cut out suddenly over the Adriatic on returning from a mission to the vital Nazi oil refineries at Odertal, Germany. The big bomber had dropped its bombs on the target and had reached the Adriatic on its return journey, "Meanwhile, I was listening to Xavier Cugat play "Take It Easy" and calmly doing likewise back in the tail," said Sgt. Daniels. "Suddenly I noticed that our engines had cut out and we were going down towards the water. Believe me, I wasted no time in getting out of the turret, grabbing my chute as I left. But before I put it on, we had already started to climb. As the engines caught on, the water looked so near, I though I could reach down and touch the waves. Getting a whiff of smoke on the command deck, I glanced out and noticed that No. 2 engine was trailing smoke with flames. The pilot quickly feathered that prop and lucky for us the fire went out soon afterwards and had only burned away one side of the engine nacelle." Finally, the bomber reached its base and landed only a few minutes late.
Decorations and Citations
AIR METAL with 2 Silver & 4 Bronze Clusters
GOOD CONDUCT METAL
EAME METAL (EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN) with 3 Bronze Stars,
PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION
Air Metal, Good Conduct Metal, EAME Metal
Ribbon's with Stars and Clusters
Note: The silver oak leaf cluster represents sixth, 11th, etc. entitlement or in lieu of five bronze oak leaf clusters. The bronze star represents participation in campaigns or operations, multiple qualifications, or an additional award to any of the various ribbons on which it is authorized.
John S. Daniels attended the University of Wisconsin - Madison and Palmer Chiropractic School in Davenport, Iowa after the war and practiced in Racine, Wisconsin until 1994.
NOTE: John and his wife enjoyed a full and rewarding life raising six sons, however, additional details are not provided due to possibility of identity theft when posting such information on the internet. If you are a first cousin of mine on either my father's or mother's side feel free to contact me for additional details for your personal records.