S/Sgt John H Osbahr
No Photo Available | S/Sgt John H Osbahr
John Osbahr of Nahant died Friday February 17th 2006, aged 80 at his home after a brief illness. Born and raised in Bayonne, New Jersey, he was the son of the late William and Anna (Sopko) Osbahr. He had lived in Nahant for the past 42 years. After graduating from high school in 1943 he volunteered for the Army Air Corps. He served as a Ball Turret (belly) Gunner on the B-17 'Bouncin Baby' in the 447th bomber group, flying his first combat mission on 2nd November 1944, flying to Merseberg, Germany. He flew on 32 Combat Missions over Germany in 1944 and 1945, was a survivor of an emergency crash landing in France, when he was listed as MIA for 3 days, and received various medals and citations. He attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. John completed the last of his 32 missions in March 1945 on a mission to Dresden. He is featured in the documentary, produced by Julie Gerisch, titled 'Though The Heavens Fall' - Courage Beyond History which details the 'Heroic Exploits' of the 447th Bomb Group during World War II. |