B-17 MIA Gunner Identified
- Thread starter BobB
- Start date
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Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Snautzer01
Marshal
- 46,292
- Mar 26, 2007
See fat print.
Boeing B-17G-100-BO 43-39031
Delivered Hunter 11/11/44; Grenier 25/11/44; Assigned 368BS/306BG Thurleigh 17/12/44; Missing in Action Bingen, Ger 29/12/44 with Edwin Woellner, Navigator: Theo Pollard, togg-Frank Arnold, Radio Operator: Glenn Korf, Waist gunner: Franklin Lehnert (5 Prisoner of War); Co-pilot: Carmon Nickols, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Clarry Gibbs, Ball turret gunner: Homer Nyberg,Tail gunner: Yuen Hop (4 Killed in Action); flak, crashed Bingen; Missing Air Crew Report 11254.
He flew on Richard Jones crew. Reported to the ETO on 22 Sept 1944. Transferred to the 367th BS on 24 Sept 1944; then transferred back to the 368th BS on 30 Oct 1944.
On 29 Dec 1944 B-17 #43-39031 crashed near Bingen-on-the-Rhine. He was part of a nine man crew bombing Bingen river ports and railway yards. He was the tail gunner. A/C was hit by flak just as all bombs were away. The bomb bay doors were still open when shell came into the bomb bay area and started a fire. A/C left formation and started to spiral down to crash. it was smoking badly. Followed by a P-51 for a while. Unknown if Sgt Hop bailed out or not since he was in rear of the plane. Five crew members survived and became German POWs. Four men were KIA after the crash. Sgt Hop was buried in American Cemetery, Lorraine, France but moved to his home state California in 1969 Golden Gate National Cemetery.
www.americanairmuseum.com
nl.findagrave.com
Boeing B-17G-100-BO 43-39031
Delivered Hunter 11/11/44; Grenier 25/11/44; Assigned 368BS/306BG Thurleigh 17/12/44; Missing in Action Bingen, Ger 29/12/44 with Edwin Woellner, Navigator: Theo Pollard, togg-Frank Arnold, Radio Operator: Glenn Korf, Waist gunner: Franklin Lehnert (5 Prisoner of War); Co-pilot: Carmon Nickols, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Clarry Gibbs, Ball turret gunner: Homer Nyberg,Tail gunner: Yuen Hop (4 Killed in Action); flak, crashed Bingen; Missing Air Crew Report 11254.
He flew on Richard Jones crew. Reported to the ETO on 22 Sept 1944. Transferred to the 367th BS on 24 Sept 1944; then transferred back to the 368th BS on 30 Oct 1944.
On 29 Dec 1944 B-17 #43-39031 crashed near Bingen-on-the-Rhine. He was part of a nine man crew bombing Bingen river ports and railway yards. He was the tail gunner. A/C was hit by flak just as all bombs were away. The bomb bay doors were still open when shell came into the bomb bay area and started a fire. A/C left formation and started to spiral down to crash. it was smoking badly. Followed by a P-51 for a while. Unknown if Sgt Hop bailed out or not since he was in rear of the plane. Five crew members survived and became German POWs. Four men were KIA after the crash. Sgt Hop was buried in American Cemetery, Lorraine, France but moved to his home state California in 1969 Golden Gate National Cemetery.
Yuen Hop | American Air Museum
SSGT Yuen Hop (1924-1944) - Find a Grave Memorial
Press Release | Nov. 15, 2024 Airman Accounted For From World War II (Hop, Yuen) WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Force Staff Sgt. Yuen Hop, 20, of Sebastopol, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for June 18, 2024...
nl.findagrave.com
Last edited:
fubar57
General
- Thread starter
- #6
American Air Museum website contradicts itself and is in error. Sgt Hop's name was on a cenotaph at the cemetery in Lorraine. His remains have been recovered from Germany but the family has not yet made funeral arrangements. https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/I...airman-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-hop-y/See fat print.
Boeing B-17G-100-BO 43-39031
Delivered Hunter 11/11/44; Grenier 25/11/44; Assigned 368BS/306BG Thurleigh 17/12/44; Missing in Action Bingen, Ger 29/12/44 with Edwin Woellner, Navigator: Theo Pollard, togg-Frank Arnold, Radio Operator: Glenn Korf, Waist gunner: Franklin Lehnert (5 Prisoner of War); Co-pilot: Carmon Nickols, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Clarry Gibbs, Ball turret gunner: Homer Nyberg,Tail gunner: Yuen Hop (4 Killed in Action); flak, crashed Bingen; Missing Air Crew Report 11254.
He flew on Richard Jones crew. Reported to the ETO on 22 Sept 1944. Transferred to the 367th BS on 24 Sept 1944; then transferred back to the 368th BS on 30 Oct 1944.
On 29 Dec 1944 B-17 #43-39031 crashed near Bingen-on-the-Rhine. He was part of a nine man crew bombing Bingen river ports and railway yards. He was the tail gunner. A/C was hit by flak just as all bombs were away. The bomb bay doors were still open when shell came into the bomb bay area and started a fire. A/C left formation and started to spiral down to crash. it was smoking badly. Followed by a P-51 for a while. Unknown if Sgt Hop bailed out or not since he was in rear of the plane. Five crew members survived and became German POWs. Four men were KIA after the crash. Sgt Hop was buried in American Cemetery, Lorraine, France but moved to his home state California in 1969 Golden Gate National Cemetery.
Yuen Hop | American Air Museum
View attachment 807920
SSGT Yuen Hop (1924-1944) - Find a Grave Memorial
Press Release | Nov. 15, 2024 Airman Accounted For From World War II (Hop, Yuen) WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Force Staff Sgt. Yuen Hop, 20, of Sebastopol, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for June 18, 2024...
Thumpalumpacus
Lieutenant Colonel
Snautzer01
Marshal
- 46,292
- Mar 26, 2007
So find a grave is in error too?
- Thread starter
- #9
"findagrave" copied the DPAA press release. They contradict your "fat print". The photo of a tombstone in "findagrave" doesn't indicate location of remains as VA will provide a tombstone for unrecovered remains, remains buried at sea, donated to medical research, or cremated and scattered; in effect, it's just a cenotaph.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #10
The initial press release for gunner Homer Nyberg who was on the same plane as Sgt. Hop. Apparently, his family may not have been located yet. Sgt. Hop's sister was found because someone at DPAA searched the Chinese American Citizens Alliance list of WW2 vets and contacted them for help in finding relatives. https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/I...7831/airman-accounted-for-from-wwii-nyberg-h/
gammastripe
Recruit
- 1
- Feb 5, 2025
Hi, I first found out about Yuen Hop after seeing, in my video doorbell camera's Neighborhood watch feed of all places, his casket being unloaded at SFO with honor guard. I googled his name to find out more about him and it lead me to this forum. This was on January 31.
Anyways, here's the SFPD press release with a short video showing the casket unloaded from the airplane and loaded on to the hearse. I have to say I got a little teary eyed watching his 93 year old sister leaning over and touching the casket.
Here's an article from Hop Yuen's local newspaper which goes into further detail about his and 2 other crewmembers disappearance. After bailing out, 5 crewmembers were captured and then sent to POW camps. 1 was found dead, parachute malfunction. The other three: Yuen Hop, Homer Nyberg and Clarence Gibbs were never heard from again or seen again. In 2013 documents were found that indicated that the 3 men were captured and sent to an SS camp, and then were killed allegedly by a German prisoner who was later charged with war crimes in a German court. The bodies were later buried in an unmarked grave with other dead POW. In 2021, a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency team went to locate the bodies and identify them.
The article also has a brief account by the tailgunner, Franklin Lehner, who was one of the last Americans to see Yuen Hop and Homer Nyberg as they were bailing out of the B-17.
80 years after his plane was shot down in WWII, the grim fate of a local aviator is revealed
If anyone is in the SF bay area and interested, the SFPD press release has information on funeral services.
RIP and Welcome Home
Anyways, here's the SFPD press release with a short video showing the casket unloaded from the airplane and loaded on to the hearse. I have to say I got a little teary eyed watching his 93 year old sister leaning over and touching the casket.
Here's an article from Hop Yuen's local newspaper which goes into further detail about his and 2 other crewmembers disappearance. After bailing out, 5 crewmembers were captured and then sent to POW camps. 1 was found dead, parachute malfunction. The other three: Yuen Hop, Homer Nyberg and Clarence Gibbs were never heard from again or seen again. In 2013 documents were found that indicated that the 3 men were captured and sent to an SS camp, and then were killed allegedly by a German prisoner who was later charged with war crimes in a German court. The bodies were later buried in an unmarked grave with other dead POW. In 2021, a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency team went to locate the bodies and identify them.
The article also has a brief account by the tailgunner, Franklin Lehner, who was one of the last Americans to see Yuen Hop and Homer Nyberg as they were bailing out of the B-17.
80 years after his plane was shot down in WWII, the grim fate of a local aviator is revealed
If anyone is in the SF bay area and interested, the SFPD press release has information on funeral services.
RIP and Welcome Home
fubar57
General
SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
Hi, I first found out about Yuen Hop after seeing, in my video doorbell camera's Neighborhood watch feed of all places, his casket being unloaded at SFO with honor guard. I googled his name to find out more about him and it lead me to this forum. This was on January 31.
Anyways, here's the SFPD press release with a short video showing the casket unloaded from the airplane and loaded on to the hearse. I have to say I got a little teary eyed watching his 93 year old sister leaning over and touching the casket.
Here's an article from Hop Yuen's local newspaper which goes into further detail about his and 2 other crewmembers disappearance. After bailing out, 5 crewmembers were captured and then sent to POW camps. 1 was found dead, parachute malfunction. The other three: Yuen Hop, Homer Nyberg and Clarence Gibbs were never heard from again or seen again. In 2013 documents were found that indicated that the 3 men were captured and sent to an SS camp, and then were killed allegedly by a German prisoner who was later charged with war crimes in a German court. The bodies were later buried in an unmarked grave with other dead POW. In 2021, a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency team went to locate the bodies and identify them.
The article also has a brief account by the tailgunner, Franklin Lehner, who was one of the last Americans to see Yuen Hop and Homer Nyberg as they were bailing out of the B-17.
80 years after his plane was shot down in WWII, the grim fate of a local aviator is revealed
If anyone is in the SF bay area and interested, the SFPD press release has information on funeral services.
RIP and Welcome Home
