From FAG Contributor usafdo (48612389) https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55903256

The last of the 66th aircraft lost on 1 August was that flown by Lt. George W. Winger, and whose position in the formation was on the right of Lt. Gentry.

Lt. Winger was flying a B-24 that was mistakenly reported to be bright orange in color. As this formation was on their bomb run, Winger’s ship was knocked aside by an explosion, and crossed directly below Hughes’ ship. On the other side of the target, Winger was still in the air but his aircraft was now an orange color because its Tokyo fuel tanks were aflame in the bomb bay.

The pilots evidently knew that the end was near. Lt. Hunn said, “Winger climbed steeply to about five hundred feet. It must have taken him and his co-pilot (Barnett) enormous effort to get her high enough for people to bail out.” And two men did jump out of the waist ports, and their parachutes opened as the ship crashed and exploded.

Winger and his men had completed 27 missions and were legally “retired” but chose to go on one more mission as it was so important to the war effort.

The chutists, who had received the gift of life from their pilots, were gunners Michael J. Cicon and Bernard G. Traudt. Traudt was a seventeen year-old with a perpetual grin. He landed unhurt, concealed his chute, and crawled under some bushes and went to sleep. He had gotten no sleep the night before. Later he stated,

“The other waist gunner, Michael Cicon, and I bailed out at approximately 500 feet, due to the fact that the plane was on fire and the bail out alarm rang. The plane hit the ground before we did, and we did not see any one else get out.”

Lt. John Harmonoski reported that he saw Lt. Winger salute him just before he pulled his airplane upwards!

http://www.8thairforce.com/44thbg/lundyroh.pdf

Lt. Winger was a recipient of the Distinguished flying cross for his participation in the Ploesti raid "Operation Tidal Wave" August 1st 1943. One of the most daring raids of WW2. Coming in at tree top level the 44th BG destroy Romanian oil refineries. Lt. Wingers remains were never recovered.

George W Winger is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing, Florence American Cemetery and Memorial, Toscana, Italy. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location.

COMMENDATIONS

★ Distinguished Flying Cross ★ Air Medal ★ Purple Heart

Crew of #41-24015

7 casualties related to the #41-24015 incident on August 1, 1943.

Pilot: 1st Lt. George W Winger, IL Fold3

Co Pilot: 2nd Lt. Edward Barnett, IL Fold3

Radio Operator: Sgt. Howard F Gotts, NY Fold3

Bombardier: Sgt. Jacob , WA Fold3

Flight Engineer: T/Sgt.Harold Kretzer, MN Fold3

Navigator: Frederick H Palmer, CA Fold3

Tail Gunner: Sgt. Elvin L Phillips, UT Fold3

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org/. This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.