Harold Edwin Jarvis, Staff Sergeant, Army Air Corps,

96th Bomber Group, 339th Bomber Squadron, Service Number: 15069598

EARLY LIFE: Harold Edwin Jarvis was born on 18 April 1923 in West Virginia. He was the son of Roma Jarvis (1894–1958) and Ada Harold (1895-1977), who were married on 23 May 1920 in Roane, West Virginia. He grew up with two siblings; Melissa Garnet 1921 and Russell Leon 1926. Residence in 1930 was in Geary township, Roane County, West Virginia. Harold 6, Garnet 9, Russell 3 and their mother, Ada 35, were at home on a farm and his father was a farmer.[1] Residence in 1940 was in Charleston City in Kanawha County, West Virginia. Harold 16 was a Western Union manager, Garnet 19 was a maid for a private home and Russell 13 was at home at 1015 West Washington with their mother, Ada 45, and their father, Romie 44 was a laborer for a contractor.[2] No Military Draft Registration can be found for Harold. Military Enlistment was on 11 August 1941 at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio. Harold stated he had completed two years of high school and was accepted into the Army Air Corps.

MILITARY CAREER: Harold reported for duty and completed his training as a waiste gunner, eventually joining the 96 Bomber Group in Texas. He was shipped overseas in May 1943, possibly arriving with the first crewmen stationed at Snetterton Heath in England.

96th Bombardment Group during World War II was first activated in July 1942 at Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah as the 96th Bombardment Group, with the 337th, 338th, 339th and 413th Bombardment Squadrons assigned as its original components. After moving to Gowen Field, Idaho the group received its initial cadre. In November 1942 the group moved to Pocatello Army Air Base, Idaho, where it acted as an Operational Training Unit (OTU). OTUs were oversized parent units that provided cadres to form "satellite groups." In early 1943, the 96th relocated to Pyote Army Air Base, Texas, where it resumed its combat training. In April 1943 the group began its overseas movement. The air echelon ferried its bombers via the North Atlantic Ferry Route, while the ground echelon proceeded to the New York Port of Embarkation and sailed on the RMS Queen Elizabeth for Greenock, Scotland.

The group arrived at RAF Grafton Underwood England in May 1943, for duty with Eighth Air Force. The group was assigned to the 45th Combat Bombardment Wing of the 3d Bombardment Division. The group commenced combat operations on 14 May with an attack on Kortrijk (Courtrai), after an aborted mission the previous day. The 96th moved east at the end of May to RAF Andrews Field. The 96th appears to have only carried out one mission while based at Andrews. On 29 May 1943 they took part in a raid on Rennes naval storage depot from which one B-17 failed to return. The 96th took the 386th's place at Snetterton Heath the following day, leaving its previous base available for the 322d Bombardment Group. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/96th_Test_Wing

VIII Bomber Command, 28 July 1943

The German aircraft industry at Oscherleben, Germany, was the second primary target of this mission. The second element is a combined force of 120 B-17s from: 94BG (18); 95BG (20); 96BG (21); 100BG (21); 385BG (26); and 388BG (14) were dispatched to bomb the AGO Flugwerke Fw 190 factory at Oschersleben, Germany. Weather frustrated bombing efforts and only 28 of this formation were able to effectively bomb the primary. 8 aircraft from 95BG attacked Grossalsleben by mistake through a gap in the cloud cover. A total of 15 B-17s Failed to Return (FTR); 7 of these were from 96BG. 90KIA 55POW 1DIC 5EVD. https://www.americanairmuseum.com/place/1697

Mission #18 - July 28, 1943: Oschersleben, Germany

“The dark, leadened skies which shrouded Snetterton Heath at dawn were to portend tragedy. The group dispatched 21 Forts as early as 0545. The weather cursed climb-and-form-up procedures throughout the Wing. Everyone's timing was off. Briefing had planned the Wing as follows: the 388th would lead with the 100th low and the 96th high. But groups were late. Rendezvous points were missed. Emerging at last into the wild blue, the 96th found the Wing to be stretched to Kingdom Come. With as much speed as possible, the 96th struck out for the planned target, the Folke Wulf assembly plant some 80 miles from Berlin. Oschersleben would set a new distance record…

“Many Americans were flying their fourth mission in five days. They had been exhausted before they took off this morning. Not so the Germans. They were secure in the knowledge that they could always land, reload, refuel and continue the battle. Today's clash displayed remarkable Luftwaffe teamwork. Germans bounced out of the clouds on Lt. Steve Hettrick's 338th A/C 42-30401. The first pass reduced Hettrick's airspeed just enough to isolate him for the second pass. The crew bailed out over the North Sea; there are still no known survivors. A similar fate awaited Lt. Hugh Moore's 413th crew in 42-3326, Moore Fidite. Then the next crew to suffer casualties was that of Lt. Gene Wilcox in the 339th's 42-30351, Alcohol Annie…

“When the final toll was taken, it was revealed that 7 aircraft failed to return to Snetterton. Listed as MIA were the crews of Lts. Deshotels, Covert, Wilcox, Moore, Hettrick, Nance and Capt. Fulton. (Five of the Wilcox crew would be returned by Air-Sea Rescue.) Even so, by "lights out" there were seventy empty cots at Snetterton. In fact, the 96th had sustained the highest losses of both the 1st and 4th Bomb Wings. Some of those empty cots motivated Bill Thorns' diary entry: "Clouds broke up formations and enemy fighters accounted for a good many planes." https://www.rumboogiecrew.com/mission18july281943

Sergeant Charles Edward Deffendoll was the Tail Gunner of B17 42-30394. He went down with the plane. On 2 September 1943 he was found washed ashore on Rømø. On 4 September 1943 he was buried in Kirkeby Churchyard on Rømø. In 1948 he and other American airmen buried in Kirkeby were disinterred and taken to Ardennes American Cemetery in BELGIUM. https://www.airmen.dk/u045029.htm

BURIAL: Harold’s body was recovered and eventually interred at Harold Cemetery at Uler, Roane County, West Virginia.[3][4]

AWARDS: Purple Heart and Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster.

Sources

↑ FamilySearch.org, [1], 1930 US Census.
↑ FamilySearch.org, [2], 1940 US Census.
↑ FamilySearch.org [3], Burial Index.
↑ Find-a-Grave.com [4], Burial Memorial.

"This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see

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 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."

Harold E Jarvis