Leonard Shapiro

Lt Leonard SHAP Shapiro was an original Pilot in the Cadre' of the 321st Bomb Group, the 447th Bomb Squadron and flew over the Atlantic in the now famous "Gen. Bob Knapp's 321st Bomb Group" B-25 Mitchell Medium Bombers, crossing the Atlantic, the Southern Route in mass without loss.  Feb. 1943.

  He was Pilot of the B-25 #41-29774 for the Flight over the Atlantic, leaving Morrison Field, FLA on 15 Feb. 1943.  The Crew was shot-down on 5 July, 1943, having been hit by flak and the ship was seen to loose altitude and slowly arc down and crashed into the base of a mountain.  SGAP's little dog SKIPPY was on board that day, being a Combat Veteran of most of Lt Shapiro's Misions.

321stBG,447thBS, Lt Leonard L "SHAP" Shapiro, PILOT, KIA 5 July, 1943

KILLED IN ACTION on 05 July 1943 on Bombing Mission on the Gerbini Main Satellite #1. The Plane Took a Direct Hit by Enemy Flak, and Went Down in Flames, ALL 5 Crew Members Were Killed, As Well As Special Assistant, “PFC Scrappy”, The Pilot’s (Lt. Shapiro’s) Little Dog. All 5 Crew Members are Buried or Memorialized TOGETHER At Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA in Section E, Plot: 246 A/C No. 41-64657 (MACR-71 - shot down – direct hit)P->Shapiro, Leonard L. “Shap”, 1Lt-KIA CP-> Greenwood, Nathan H., 2Lt-KIA N-> NoneB-> Schulze, George F., S/Sgt-KIA E-> None listedR->Waldrip, Robert L., T/Sgt-KIA G->Rider, Lawrence E., S/Sgt- KIA F-> NoneSpecial Assistant-> PFC Scrappy (Lt Shapiro’s “little dog”)-KIA

Barbi Ennis Connolly 321st Bomb Group Historian /57th Bomb Wing.

PRINCESSBARBI_B25@msn.com