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326th/327th Tail Gunner Group


Javelin4life
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I went to the Flea market by me straight from my night shift and stumbled across this officially engraved named DFC. The seller told me he got the medal and ribbons directly from the family. From the quick research I was able to pull up, S.Sgt Stanley Sztorc was a waist gunner of the 326thbomb squadron, the 92nd bomb group "Fames favoured few" and the 327th bomb squadron. Im still looking to see how he was a POW. In addition, it is interesting to see how he was a POW yet somehow wound up in the pacific. Can anyone help shed light on this? Thank you for looking!

 

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Shows him enlisting in the US Army Air Corps on January 9, 1942.

http://www.ww2enlistment.org/index.php?page=directory&rec=494094

 

Shows him marrying Sophie in 1942 in Maine.

http://www.mytrees.com/ancestry-family/ma005505-4071-0/STANLEY-and-SOPHIE-SZTORC-married-1942-in-Maine.html

 

Shows the 326th Bomber Squadroon was formed January 28, 1942 and trained in Florida; it moved to Maine in June 1942 and then to Scotland in August 1942; it flew its first combat missions in September 1942.

http://92ndma.org/326thBSHistory.html

 

 

Perhaps, just my wild guess, he was shot down over France and one of the escape lines aided him back to England. Not a "POW".

My guess is Sgt Sztorc completed his tour; returned to the US and then was sent to the Pacific.

 

 

Shows him as a member of a B17 crew that was forced to ditch on September 6, 1943.

http://92ndma.org/missions/loss43906.htm

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I also heard that the photo marked POW looks like one of the photos taken by the USAAF in case the crew was shot down. Apparently fake French documents were made for air crews sometimes and photos were taken in civilian clothes for the documents so if the crew was shot down they would have fake documents to help them try and evade being captured.

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Nice set to a early flyer. I agree with others about the photo more than likely being produced by the AAF for his escape kit, although I do have one that was produced in Stalag Luft 3 to make a passport for escape. I know the French underground did similar things, so who knows. Regardless, its a pretty neat set that needs some further research to see if he did indeed evade capture. Thanks for sharing it.

 

JD

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The suit looks to big for him, if it was US made they did a bad job. "POW in France Underground 1942" sounds more like he was shot down and picked up by the Underground and they made the photo for papers to get him out. So he never really was a POW. Or he was a POW and escaped in transit and then joined the Underground. I let my Fold3 account laps so I can not pull up his MACR file, that may tell you something.

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Ha my friend and I made the same comment about that coat too! Aside from the concrete proof that we know he existed and was active during WWII, finding out his POW status or not will be a fun research project. Is that kind of picture for false documentation rare to come across with a group?

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I checked Fold3 and could not find him in the MACRs. I also have two books on the 92nd BG and he is not listed in either one, but that does not mean he wasn't in the group. I did find the attached photo in one of the books which looks kind of like him.

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  • 3 years later...

I am writing to you today as this WWI hero, Stanley C. Sztorc,  is my father.  My sister and I remember seeing them as children, but were led to believe that the medals were lost following my father's death in 1971.  I was shocked to see your post yesterday following my search, with this Memorial Day being my inspiration, for any clues to my father's military history.  I am hoping that you can tell me that you still have them in your possession or if not, can assist us in locating them.  He was truly a hero and we missed the opportunity to hear so many of his stories, but would love to have these medals back with his only living family.  We hope to hear from you with encouraging information.

 

Carol Jean (Sztorc) Warren

Patricia (Sztorc) Reuter

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