Leo Curtis Thrall

Leo Curtis Thrall, Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Forces, 37254188, 579th Bombardment Squadron, 392nd Bomber Group, Heavy. Entered the Service from Kansas. Died: October 4, 1943. Finding of Death. Missing in Action. Tablets of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England. Awards: Air Medal, Purple Heart.

392nd Bomb Group Missing Aircrew Report, 4 Oct 1943, # 00890, Aircraft #42-7471, "Filthy Annie", "G-Bar", 3rd Mission. Aircrew: Morphew. 579th Squadron:

"MISSION LOSS CIRCUMSTANCES: The 392nd BG letter, dated 6 October 43 and forwarded to the War Department through channels, detailed the following eyewitness accounts: Lt. Morphew�s B-24 was last seen falling in a mild spin at about 10,000 feet followed closely by four enemy fighters. One or two parachutes were reported seen from this aircraft. A wing tip and the tail assembly had been damaged and partially torn off as a result of a mid-air collision with one of the other Group aircraft, believed to be B-24 # 42-7481 (Lt. Fuerstacke�s ship) - as the Morphew ship spun out of the formation at about 1026 hours. No other reports were available on this crew and aircraft loss." -- B24.net

Crew members on the "Filthy Annie" were the pilot 1/LT Orval S. Morphew from Minnesota, copilot 2/LT Robert F. Purdy from Alabama, Navigator 2/LT Martin G. Shearer from Kentucky, Bombadier 1/LT Lawrence R. Moore from West Virginia, Radio Operator T/S Maurice R. Moriarty from Massachusetts, Nose Gunner S/S Pete E. Derrick from Oklahoma, Waist Gunner S/S Virgil W. Wells from Kentucky, Waist Gunner S/S James C. Wilson from North Carolina and Tail Gunner S/S Christian S. Woller from Texas. T/S Leo C. Thrall, the Flight Engineer, was from Kansas.

Walter Thrall who lives 6 and 1/2 miles north of Protection, received a telegram from the War Department Thursday morning of this week stating his son, Technical Sergeant Leo C. Thrall was missing in action in the European area since October 4. No other information concerning his being missing in now known.

Sgt. Thrall entered the army service April 6, 1942 and had been in England since August 20 and was First Engineer and Crew Chief on a B-24 bomber. On October 2 his father received a letter from him stating that he had just returned from his first real raid, although he had previously been over France. It was thought that he was on his second long trip over Germany at the time his plane was brought down.

For six months before entering the army Sgt. Thrall was employed by the McCormick Deering Store in Coldwater. His many friends over the county are hoping that word of his safe internment will be received soon.

On Thursday of last week Walter Thrall of Protection, received official word that his son, Staff Sergeant Leo Thrall, was missing in action in European war theater since October 4. No further word has been received .Leo Curtis Thrall was born on the home place north of Protection October 27, 1917 and at the time of being reported missing in action was 25 years, 11 months and 7 days of age.

He graduated from the Protection high school with the class of 1935 and was engaged in farming until about six months before entering the army during which time he was employed by the McCormick Deering store in this city, where he was a valued and trustworthy employee.

Leo entered army service April 6, 1942, and was sent to Sheppard Field, Texas, for training as a mechanic in the Army Air Force. From there he was sent to San Diego, Calif., for three months of advanced training. He was then transferred to Las Vegas, Nev., where he attended a gunnery school.Leo spent a number of weeks at Tucson, Ariz., taking advanced courses in mechanics, gunnery, radio, navigation, etc., including many hours at the stick of the plane, is that he could fly or land it, if necessary. He was made first engineer and crew chief of his squadron with the rank of Technical Sergeant and received his "wings." It was his duty to check all instruments, check the pilot's landings and take offs, check the bombs and see that the ship was ready to fly.

His training continued at Alamagordo, New Mexico, where he remained until July 1, 1943. During that month he enjoyed a 14 day furlough home and soon afterward was transferred with his squadron to the Topeka, Kans., air base. After about three weeks there, his entire squadron took off in their planes for overseas duty. They stopped a few days in Maine for a checkup, then flew direct to England, where they became attached to the Eighth Army Air Force.

After a number of bombing raids over France, Sgt. Thrall wrote his father on October 2 that he had just returned from his first real raid over Germany.

It is thought that the raid in which his plane was shot down was a daylight mission to northeastern Germany entailing a round trip flight of 1600 miles. Unquestionably, the damage done to Germany's vital war installations by the army bombers have been and are saving the lives of scores of thousands of other American soldiers, thus shortening the war immeasurably. The sacrifice made by gallant airmen for their fellow men and all humanity is one of the greatest contributions to the war effort.Besides his father, C. W. Thrall, Sgt. Thrall is survived by his step-mother and by one brother, Argie, age 17. His mother passed away in September, 1930.

Sgt. Thrall was one of this country's finest young men, clean, honest, upright, physically strong and mentally alert, and a brave soldier who gave his best for the service of his country.

The entire county is saddened by the loss of Sgt. Thrall and extend sincere sympathy to the sorrowing relatives.

Jerry,

You created a RootsWeb web page honoring Leo Curtis Thrall, a B-24 flight engineer from Comanche County KIA during WWII. I am currently researching Thrall's crew and would like to know more about Leo Thrall and any surviving family members. Could you tell me who contributed the Thrall information, and do you know anything more about Leo Thrall?

Also, I recently discovered that Thrall's plane was not named "Mac's Sack," which is currently shown on your Thrall page; it was actually named "Filthy Annie." I have discussed this fact with researchers at B24.NET, and they agree. A change has now been made to the MACR for Thrall's plane, and you may view that change at: B24.net, MACR #00890, 4 October 1943.

Thanks--

Dan Patrick
d72 at mail dot charter dot net

Dan,

Thank you for advising me of the correct name of Leo Thrall's plane.

Shirley Brier transcribed and contributed the articles about Leo Thrall, as she did for about 1,500 other pages on this site of nearly 2,000 pages. She isn't related to Leo Thrall.

Comanche County History, Vol. I doesn't have any Thrall family histories. Comanche County History, Vol. II has a family history written circa 2007 by Bobbie Marie (Dorsey) Thrall, widow of Argie Lee Thrall, who was the son of Walter Thrall of Protection, Kansas. Walter sold his house to Bobbie and Argie soon after they married on December 12, 1946, then moved to Grand Lake, Oklahoma, so that he could indulge his love of fishing. Argie died November 1st, 1988. Bobbie Thrall lives in Granada, Colorado.

Argie and Leo C. Thrall were brothers. As for other relatives, Bobbie's article says that Argie and Bonnie Thrall's children Doug Thrall and Phyllis Thrall live in Lamar, Colorado, and that their third child, Curtis Lee Thrall, died June 27th, 1982. That's all the information I have on Leo Thrall's family.

Do you have any photos of the "Filthy Annie" B-24 aircraft or its crew which you'd care to contribute for use on this webpage?

Thanks for writing!

Jerry

The above news articles were transcribed for this site by Shirley Brier.

This website is being created by Jerry Ferrin with the able assistance of many Contributors. Your comments, suggestions and contributions of historical information and photographs to this site are welcome. Please sign the Guest Book.

This page was last updated 16 Feb 2008.