John Francis Schmid was born on September 22, 1917, in Sturgeon Bay, Door County, Wisconsin. He was the son of Jake John Schmid. He was married to Milada A Schmid. He enlisted in the service on January 20, 1942. He served in the 602nd Bomb Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, as a Staff Sergeant and waist gunner on B-17 #43-38664 during World War II. He was originally a member of Lt. Ferguson’s crew, but he was not aboard the aircraft on the day it crashed, as he had been shot down earlier while flying on a different mission in another bomber.

On April 11, 1945, Schmid was flying aboard B-17G Flying Fortress #43-38664 of the 398th Bomb Group, 602nd Bomb Squadron, during a mission targeting the rail marshalling yards at Neustadt, Germany. As the formation approached the target area, it encountered accurate and intense bursts of anti-aircraft fire. A direct hit struck the bomber near its No. 3 engine and wing root, rupturing fuel lines and igniting a severe fire. Losing both power and altitude, the aircraft fell out of formation trailing flames. When the fire became uncontrollable and the wing structure began to fail, the pilot issued the order to bail out. Schmid successfully parachuted from the stricken bomber and landed in rural Bavaria, where he was immediately taken prisoner by German ground forces. The aircraft crashed near Schmiechen, southwest of Augsburg, killing several members of the crew who were unable to escape. Schmid and the other surviving airmen were marched in custody as German units retreated during the final weeks of the war, and he remained a prisoner of war in Germany until liberated by advancing Allied troops shortly before Germany’s surrender on May 8, 1945.

Schmid ended his military service as a Lieutenant Colonel. He died on December 6, 2002, and is now buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.398th.org, www.americanairmuseum.com