Albert W. Emery
6245362 (1930-1936) and 34117846

Albert Wilfred Emery was born on 30 September 1908 in Spalding, Greeley County, Nebraska. His father was Bert Jean Emery, a native of Nebraska. His mother was Elsie Mary Crosby, a native of Iowa. Sadly, Elsie passed away on the day that Albert was born. Bert was left to raise three young sons: the newborn Albert, four year old Ralph and two year old Raphael (called Ray.) Bert and Elsie had been married for seven years. Bert married Louise M. Grimm, a native of Nebraska and the daughter of German immigrants in 1910. Bert and Louise had three sons (Joseph, William, Lewis “Lou”) and one daughter (Adelaide.)

According to the 1910 census Bert and Louise were living with the three oldest boys in Spalding, Nebraska. Bert was working as a contractor for the dray industry. This means that Bert was hauling goods from place to place, likely using a horse and cart/wagon. By 1920, the family was residing in Mud Creek, Wheeler, Nebraska. Bert was a farmer who owned his own home. In 1929, Albert was living in Grand Island, Nebraska. During this year, Albert was accused and found not guilty of murder, when a man was killed by accidental discharge of a shotgun while rabbit hunting with Albert. In the 1930 census, Bert and Louise were residing in Brayton, Greeley County. Bert was now a stock farmer. Five of the children were living with their parents. Also in the home were William’s wife and two children. The sons were all employed as farm laborers in general farming. Albert was an unpaid worker as he was a member of the family.

The 17 July 1930 issue of The Greeley Citizen reported that Albert had enlisted in the U.S. Army in Fort Logan, Colorado. The paper stated that Albert was assigned to the motor artillery at Fort Sill Oklahoma, giving him “...the opportunity to learn the motor trade…” A review of military rosters between 31 August 1930 and 31 July 1933 show that Albert was a private with Battery B of the 18th Field Artillery in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Occasionally, a register indicated (ck), which is a cook. The 31 July roster notes that Albert was a Private First Class (PFC) who was honorably discharged on the 10th due to E of S (End of Service.) Albert reenlisted. Between 31 August 1933 through 31 August 1936 Albert was stationed at Barksdale Field, Louisiana. He initially served with the 55th Pursuit Squadron, AC and then the 71st Service Squadron, General Headquarters, Air Force. In May 1936, Albert attended the School for Bakers and Cooks in Fort Benning, Georgia. Albert was discharged on 20 August 1936. In November 1936, the local paper noted that Albert and his brother Joe were fined for fighting in a Grand Island beer tavern.

According to the 1940 census, Albert and his brother William were living in Los Angeles, California with an uncle. Albert was employed as an airgun operator for the “paint jobbers” industry. This census shows that Albert was living in Trenton, Louisiana in 1935. Bert and Louise were living in Grand Island, Hall, Nebraska and running a rooming house. This eventually became the Emery Hotel. Albert completed a draft registration card on 16 October 1940. His employer was Griffith Company located at the L.A. Railway Building in Los Angeles. Albert was described as 5’8 ½ inches tall, 168 pounds, gray eyes, blonde hair and a ruddy complexion. He had an appendix scar.

The author was unable to find a WWII enlistment date for Albert, but he was selected to train and serve as an engineer and top turret gunner with the 44th Bombardment Group, the first group to use the new B-24 Liberator. The 44th received the nickname “The Flying Eight Balls.” According to the American Air Museum in Britain website, the 44th was activated on 15 Jan 1942 at McDill Field, Florida. The group moved to Barksdale Field, Louisiana flying anti-submarine patrols over the Gulf of Mexico and acting as a training unit. In July 1942, the 44th moved to Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma in preparation for deployment. In late September 1942 the group went to Cheddington, England and then to RAF Shipdham in Norfolk, England one month later. Albert was a crewman aboard a B-24D (#41-23783), nicknamed the “Betty Anne”, which was assigned to the 67th Bomber Squadron in the 44th Bombardment Group and part of the Eighth Air Force.

On November 7, 1942 the 44th flew its first mission, a diversionary mission to distract the enemy while other groups went to their assigned targets. Two days later, they went on their first mission where they dropped bombs on enemy territory. On their sixth mission, the 44th Bomb Group had their first loss of a plane and its crew. By February 4, 1943 the 44th Group had eleven missions under its belt, with losses on five of them.

On the morning of February 15, 1943 a reconnaissance flight had spotted a German Raider vessel thought to be the “Togo'' docked at Dunkirk. It was thought the ship was ready to slip out at any time to raid Allied shipping. Crews were hurriedly called and 17 planes from the 44th Bomb Group took to the air from RAF Shipdham. The planes rendezvoused with planes from the 93rd Bomb Group, with the “Betty Anne” leading the formation. At 15:40 over Dunkirk, the “Betty Anne” took a direct hit from 88mm flak under the flight deck at about the nose wheel section. Five of the eleven crewmen were able to evacuate the plane before she crashed. The five were captured as POWs, although one died of his injuries. Technical Sargeant Albert Emery, Engineer/Top Turret Gunner, was one of the six crewmen KIA, who went down with the plane. The bodies of four crewmen were recovered and identified. The other two were never recovered. There was no MACR (Missing Air Crew Report) prepared, so below is a list of the crew and their status: Captain/Pilot Arthur Cullen was wounded, made a prisoner of war and repatriated after 20 months. Command pilot, Major Donald Waters MacDonald received a serious stomach wound, but escaped the plane. MacDonald died on the operating table of a German Luftwaffe hospital in France, with the designation KIA (Killed in Action.) Three other crew members were designated KIA: 1st Lt Paul L. Mackey (navigator), 2nd Lt. Paul D. Caldwell (Bombardier), T/Sgt. Samuel S Weiser (Radio Op/Ball Turret Gunner) and Sgt. James A. Hilley (tail gunner.) Two crew members were designated MIA/KIA: Albert and S/Sgt. Thomas E. McKinsey (gunner.) The military officially issued an FOD (finding of death) for these two. The MIA location was the English Channel. The remaining crew members became POWs: T/Sgt. David H. Wood (gunner), Sgt. Charles A. Arnold (gunner) and Sgt. Jesse M. Norwood (gunner.)

The Grand Island Daily Independent reported on 22 Feb 1943 that Albert, “air combat crew member,” was missing in western Europe. This news was repeated in the 27 Feb issue noting that Albert was a member of a bomber unit and had been overseas for the past seven months. On 3 June, the paper reported that the family had received a letter from Major General J.A. Ulio. The letter stated that Albert had been awarded an air medal for “exceptionally meritorious achievements over enemy-occupied continental Europe.” The article also reported that Albert spent six years in the army prior to Pearl Harbor, but this author was unable to find documentation of that time served. The air medal was sent directly to Albert’s parents as reported on 10 August. The family declined the opportunity to have officers at the Grand Island Army Base present the medal formally. The paper noted that the citation was bestowed on all members of the group for “exceptionally meritorious service while participating in five separate bomber combat missions over enemy-occupied continental Europe. The courage, coolness and skill displayed by these officers and enlisted men upon these occasions were of the highest order and reflect great credit upon themselves and the Armed Forces of the United States.” In addition to this air medal, Albert received a purple heart.

Albert is memorialized at Grand Island Cemetery in Grand Island, Nebraska. He is also memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at Ardennes American Cemetery in Neuville-en-Condroz, Arrondissement de Liege in Liege, Belgium.

Albert was not the only member of his family to serve his country. His brother Lewis served as a sargeant in the army during WWII. Step-uncle Adolph Grimm served as a quartermaster second class in the aviation department with the US Navy during WWI. Step-uncle Herman Grimm was a private in a machine gun company, 355th infantry in WWI.

Thank you, Albert W. Emery, for your service and sacrifice. It was an honor to write your story.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org/). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Together We Served and on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

Laura Hanaford - Contributing Author, Stories Behind the Stars

If you have any details, photos, or corrections for this story, please email Together We Served directly.

SBTS Project/Los Angeles/California
SBTS Project/Hall/Nebraska

References:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95110011/albert-w.-emery
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56358050/albert-w-emery
https://www.honorstates.org
https://www.ancestry.com US Census records, US WWII Draft Cards, US Headstone and Interment Records,US Army Enlistment RecordsUS Defense POW/MIA Accounting, US Veterans Gravesites, US Veterans Interred Overseas, US Military Personnel MIA or Lost at Sea
Familysearch.org US Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters 1916-1939
https://www.findagrave.com
Newspapers.com
Genealogybank.com
Fold3.com
https://goldstarfamilyregistry.com
https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/person/albert-w-emery
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117547292/greely-man-freed-of-murder-charge
https://www.newspapers.com/image/698942608/?terms=%22Albert%20Emery%22&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/693434670/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117509957/missing-in-action-since-feb-15/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117509068/father-advised-medal-awarded-albert
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117509850/albert-missing-in-action-since-feb
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117509185/medal-awarded-to-albert-emery-is-sent/
https://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=2500
https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/aircraft/41-23783
https://www.44thbombgroup.org/

Acknowledgements:
Thank you to the American Air Museum in Britain website for providing “an interactive archive of images and information.”

Update based on National Archives Service Record.

Albert’s military record is incomplete due fire damage that occurred on 12 July 1973. The recovered records show fire damage along the edges. These records included a final endorsement document dated 27 Sept 1935. His character was described as “Excellent.” His efficiency rating as a soldier was “Satisfactory.” The WWII enlistment record was dated 23 February 1943. Albert’s address was 1149 N. Chicago Street in Los Angeles. He had been working at his civilian trade of “Machinist” for three years. The records included references to a finding of death in forms from 1944 and 1948. A financial document indicates that Albert’s last pay was 31 Jan 1943. Due to Albert at time of death was “Current pay & 50% incr in pay for flying from Feb 1 to 15/43 incl.”

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Emery, Albert, Sgt