John Thornton Fithen was born on July 15, 1917, in Amelia, Ohio. He was the son of William Jackson Fithen and Phoebe Jane Lindsey Fithen. He was married to Margery F. Williams Fithen. He served in the 566th Bombardment Squadron, 389th Bombardment Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Waist Gunner of B-24 #44-10579 nicknamed ''Pugnacious Princess Pat” during World War II.

On November 26, 1944, the “Pugnacious Princess Pat”, departed from Hethel Airfield in England as part of a large Allied bombing mission targeting rail yards near Hannover and the Deurag-Nerag synthetic oil refinery at Misburg. Around midday, as the formation approached the target, German anti-aircraft fire from Kirchhorst struck the bomber, shearing away part of its tail and right wing. The aircraft went down in a clearing near Altwarmbüchen, killing six of the ten crew members, while the remaining four parachuted to safety but were captured.

SSgt Fithen was taken as a prisoner of war and was held at Stalag Luft 4 in Gross-Tychow, Pomerania, Prussia. He ended his military service as a Technical Sergeant. He died on July 1, 1982, and is now buried in the Confidence Cemetery, Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio, USA.

Source of information: de.wikipedia.org, www.findagrave.com