DEDICATED
TO 97th BG 414th BS
B-17
PILOT
Lt. Col.
James L. Russell
12th AF 97th
BG 414th
BS
Material submitted by his son Mike Russell
mjruss@mjrussellpc.com Bethlehem, Georgia
Site edited and maintained by Doug Cook
Contacts
from 97th BG and 414th Squadron Welcome!
Last
Update July 21, 2022
USAAF Individual
Record Combat Crew Member 1943-1944
Lt. Col. James L Russell Jr (link file)
James L. (Jimmy) Russell, Jr. was born August 31, 1917 in Anniston, Alabama. His family moved to several places in Alabama before settling in Montgomery, Alabama where he graduated from Sidney Lanier High School. After school he worked as the Chief Clerk in a construction payroll office.
Jimmy enlisted in the Army on January 9, 1941 and served a year at Fort McPherson, Georgia as a Drill Instructor before being named an aviation cadet captain and attending the Army Air Force (AAF) Basic Pilot School at George Army Airfield, Lawrenceville, Illinois that included advanced pilot training in twin-engine aircraft (AT-6, AT-9, AT-10, PT-11, BT-13). After completing this basic flight training, Jimmy completed the Four Engine Combat Crew School (Greenville Aviation School) at Hendricks Field in Ocala (Sebring), Florida in February 1943 and received his Transition Flying Instruction Certificate for the B-17.
Left- Jimmy Russell while attending Greenville Aviation School at Hendricks Field
Right- Graduating from Greenville Aviation School (Jimmy Russell, center)
Second Lt. Jimmy Russell then reported to Smokey Hill Army Air Field, Salina, Kansas before initial assignment to the 543rd Bomb Squadron before traveling to Morrison Field, West Palm Beach, Florida for deployment overseas. Jimmy was deployed to the European-African-Middle Eastern (EAME) Theatre in June 1943 and assigned to ferry a B-17F (SN 42-30361) to this theatre along with his crew:
Pilot: 2nd Lt.
James L. (Jimmy) Russell, Jr.
Co-Pilot: 2nd Lt.
John O. (Johnny) Shropshire
Navigator: 2nd Lt. Lawrence
F. (Larry) Craven
Bombardier: 2nd Lt. Glenn A. Profitt
E-T: Sgt. Francis Kegin, Jr.
AE-S: Sgt. Orville H. West
R-T: Sgt. Reese L. Starner
AR-S: Sgt. Kenneth W. Clouston
G-S: Sgt. Edward P. Doolan
AG-S: Sgt. Charles K.
Pierce
This crew was initially assigned to the Bombardment Training Center before being assigned to the 97th Bomber Group, 414th Squadron. Jimmy and his crew named their B-17 “Superstitious Aloysius” There were also another B-17s nicknamed Superstitious Aloysius including:
B-17
(42-6098), 95th Bomber Group, 335th Squadron (ditched off the coast of England)
B-17
(42-31982), 91st Bomber Group, 324th Squadron
B-17
(42-31049), 100th Bomber Group, 350th Squadron
Superstitious Aloysius was a popular cartoon character in the 1940’s and was painted on many World War II bombers.
Superstitious Aloysius B-17 piloted by Jimmy Russell (above and below).
(From Left): Navigator Larry Craven, Bombardier Glenn Profit, Grover (unidentified),
Pilot Jimmy Russell, Co-Pilot Johnny Shropshire
Jimmy and his crew completed 50 successful combat missions from their North Africa base July 1943 through January 1944, and never lost the airplane or a crewmember.
Mission targets:
· Austria
· Bulgaria
· France
· Greece
· Italy (including
Naples and Rome)
· Sicily
Left- Jimmy Russell
Right- Jimmy Russell (Front Row, 2nd from Left)
N. Africa Camp, crew in flight gear. Jimmy Russell 2nd from right.
Jimmy Russell also served as Flight Commander for 414th Squadron from September 1943 to December 1943. He and his crew Awarded the Air Metal with nine oak Leaf Clusters while flying combat missions during the period July 1943 to January 1944.
Jimmy returned to the States in February 1944 for processing and reassignment in Miami, Florida.
Bombardier Glenn Profit, Pilot Jimmy Russell, G-S Eddie Doolan in Miami Beach, Florida 1944
After transition training in Galveston, Texas, Jimmy attended the Combat Crew Training School at Pyote Army Air Field, Pyote, Texas becoming proficient on the B-29 Superfortress and ferried several the B-29 Superfortress’ across the country back to Pyote during this time.
Left- Jimmy Russell (2nd from Right) at Pyote Army Air Field 1944
Right- Jimmy Russell (Center) Receiving Air Medal at Pyote Army Air Field 1944
Jimmy was then discharged from active duty in
November 1945 from Fort McPherson, Georgia and worked as an Assistant Manager
for the Alabama Credit Corporation in Montgomery, Alabama until being
transferred from the reserves to the Department of the Air Force in September
1947. His first duty assignment was as an Air Traffic Service Officer at
Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama. While at Maxwell Air Force Base,
Jimmy married Mary Eunice Chandler in 1950 at the Maxwell Air Force Base
Chapel. Early in his Maxwell Air Force Base assignment, Jimmy decided to
perform a low fly-over for his Annison relatives in
1947 but there is no official record of any disciplinary actions.
Jimmy’s subsequent USAF duty assignments included:
· Air Traffic
Controller, Yontan Air Force Base, Yontan, Okinawa (May
1950 to January 1952)
· Chief Director, ADC Direction
Center, Kirkland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico (February 1952 to
December 1953)
· Student, Air Command
& Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base,
Montgomery, Alabama (January 1954 to June 1954)
· Commander, 2021st
Airways and Air Communications Service (AACS) Squadron, Tyndall Air Force Base,
Panama City, Florida (June 1954 to July 1955)
· Director of Flight
Facilities, Commander, 1820th AACS Squadron Ramstein
Air Force Base, Ramstein, Germany (July 1955 to
August 1956)
·
Commander,
1287th AACS Squadron, Aviano Air
Force Base, Italy (August 1956 to June 1958)
· Commander, 1923rd
AACS Squadron, Kelly Air Forcr Base, San Antonio,
Texas (June 1958 to November 1959)
· Commander, 2022nd
AACS Squadron, Craig Air Force Base, Selma, Alabama (November 1959 to June
1963)
Jimmy Russell at Yontan Air Force Base, Yontan, Okinawa
Then Major Jimmy Russell retired from the Air Force on June 30, 1963 with over 20 years of active service. Upon his retirement, he was promoted to Lt. Colonel with recognition of the following medals received during his service:
·
Air Force Reserve Medal w/hour glass
device
·
Air Force Longevity Service Award 2/4
Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
·
Korean Service Medal
·
National Defense Service Medal
·
United Nations Service Medal
After his retirement, Jimmy and his family settled in Montgomery, Alabama where he worked as a Public Health Agent for the State of Alabama Health Department for 20 years. Jimmy then volunteered with the Alabama Department of Archives & History for many years. In 2012 he moved into an Alzheimer's facility to remain with his wife even though he did not have this disease and passed away in 2015 at the age of 98.
Colonel Jimmy Russell was survived by his wife of 65 years, Eunice Russell, two sons, Mike and Richard, daughter-in-law, Kathy, and three grandchildren, Kristine, Sarah and Peter.