John E. Maloney was a B-17 bombardier with the 327th Bomb Squadron, 92nd Bomb Group during World War II. On December 31, 1943, he and his crew took off from Podington Airfield (near Rushden, England) to bomb the Bordeaux-Merignac Airfield near Bordeaux, France. Just after their B-17 (#42-3186) dropped its bombs, it came under attack by German fighters. The fighters took out all four engines. Goldstein controlled the plane into a belly landing in a farm field near Bordeaux. All crew survived, but four were captured including 2Lt Maloney. The other six made it back to England with the help of French partisans. 2Lt was brought to Stalag Luft 1 Barth-Vogelsang.

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