Joseph F. Devine was born on September 25, 1917 in Rhode Island. He resided in Windham County, Connecticut prior to the war. Joseph enlisted in the Army Air Corps on August 6, 1940, prior to the war, in Hartford, Connecticut. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in construction and also as Single, without dependents.

SSgt Devine was the left waist gunner of the B-17 42-3049 “Windy City Challenger” which took off from station 105 in Chelveston, Northamptonshire, UK on a bombing mission over Villacoublay. Two German FW-190 fighters came at the plane around 10000 feet at 0820. Their fire killed seven of the eleven crew members, their bodies trapped in the wreckage of the exploded plane. The other four managed to bail out and opened their parachutes at 1000 feet. Devine died in the crash.