Jack White was born in 1924 in Topsham, Sagadahoc County, Maine. His parents William L. (1889-1972) and Beatrice Waters nee Tarr (1894-1973) were born in Maine. In 1930 the family lived with his fathers brother’s family at 420 Winter Street. William worked in a Paper Mill and later as a carpenter. Jack had two sisters, Bettie and Virginia and a brother William Jr. In 1940 Jacks family had moved to 275 Bridge St.

Jack graduated from Brunswick High School in 1942. Jack was extremely popular and had been on the football team all four years, serving as co-captain his senior yr. Baseball all four years, swimming two years, student council two years, Hi Y (president) and O&B(orange and black) staff in his junior and senior years. In the 1942 Brunswick High school yearbook page 66 indicates he was voted best athlete. We can see his focus in his own commentary on pg 69- “Ambition: to understand women. Favorite Pastime: Double date. Pet hate (pet peeve): a dumb women. Slang: Wolf.”

He enlisted on 28 July 1942 in Portland Maine. Enlistment record indicates he attended four years of high school and was 5’ 7” and approx. 171 lbs. The record indicates he entered as a private with the service number of 11068331, in the army air corps with previous civilian experience in the paper goods industry.

The Tampa Times indicates on 7 Mar 1944 a marriage license was issued for Jack and Mary Catherine Crossman of Brunswick who was 17 at the time. He was stationed at MacDill Air Field and they would live at 243 Plant Ave. The 1946 Topsham Directory indicates Mary moved back home, living at 24 Jordan Ave after Jacks passing, she was remarried in 1949.

After initial training and officer candidate and flight training Jack was assigned as a B-17 Radio Officer for the 97th Bomber Group with the 340th Bomber Squadron.

The 340th Bomber Squadron history indicates **” From Nov 1943 to Apr 1945, engaged chiefly in long-range missions to targets in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Greece, attacking oil refineries, aircraft factories, marshalling yards, and other strategic objectives.

Received a DUC for leading a strike against an aircraft factory at Steyr on 24 Feb 1944 during Big Week, the intensive air campaign against the German aircraft industry. 2d Lt David R Kingsley, bombardier, was awarded the Medal of Honor for saving the life of a wounded gunner on 23 Jun 1944: during a mission to Ploesti, Kingsley’s B-17 was seriously crippled and the tail gunner was injured; when the crew was ordered to bail out, Kingsley gave his parachute to the gunner, whose own had been damaged, and assisted him in bailing out; Kingsley died a few moments later when his bomber crashed and burned.

The group received its second DUC for a devastating raid against one of the Ploesti refineries on 18 Aug 1944. Other operations of the 97th included pounding enemy communications, transportation, and airfields in support of Allied forces at Anzio and Cassino; bombing coastal defenses in preparation for the invasion of Southern France; and assisting US Fifth and British Eighth Army in their advance through the Po Valley. Inactivated in Italy on 29 Oct 1945.”

From reports it is indicated that B-17 Aircraft Number 42-97648 failed to return from a mission on 13 September 1944

***”Delivered Denver 17/1/44; 1SAG Langley 14/2/44; Morrison 23/3/44; Assigned (PFF) 49BS/2BG Amendola 26/3/44; transferred 348BS/99BG Tortorella {2m}; 340BS/97BG Amendola 4/44; Missing in Action Blechhammer 13/9/44 with Farryle Waters, Lent, Young, bennett, White, Smith, Gaston, Talley, Hubbard, Thiele; crashed Gross Strehiltz; Missing Air Crew Report 8729. Source: Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log*”

According to the Missing Air Crew Report 8729, dated 15 Sept 1944, the following information is provided: ****

On Sept 13, 1944 B-17g aircraft, tail number: 42-97648, left with a squadron of 14 bombers to conduct a bombing mission near Blechhammer Germany with the target being an oil refinery. They departed Amendola, Italy and had a direct route cruising altitude of 28000 feet, weather reported as 3 4/10 cumulus with 25 mile visibility. Scheduled time on target was 1130 hours, but five minutes before target they began receiving anti-aircraft fire. Taking two direct hits it is indicated from eyewitness reports from aircraft #331 that the plane exploded. Records from surviving crew indicate that LTs Bennett, Young and SGT Talley were blown from the aircraft in the initial explosion and deployed their parachutes, LT Lent bailed out of the aircraft before it crashed and provided the best accounts of what occurred in those minutes after contact. “Waters and Smith in the pilots compartment, White and Gaston in the radio room and Thiele and Hubbard in the tail.” ”I saw Waters and Smith killed in the pilots cabin with the initial burst of flak causing wounds to face, chest and stomach” “I was told their were five bodies laid out next to the crash site. It is possible the explosion destroyed the body of one.” The three LTs were captured by the Germans upon landing and sent to DULAG-Luft Prison camp, SGT Talley to DULAG-west.

The crew for on that flight were:

1st LT Farryle Waters -Pilot KIA

1st LT Robert Lent -Co-Pilot POW

1st LT William Young -Navigator POW

2ND LT Jack T. White -Radio Officer KIA

2nd LT George Bennett- Asst Navigator POW

SSG Harrold Gaston -Top Turret Gunner KIA

SGT Clyde Hubbard -Left Waist Gunner KIA

SGT Verdun Smith -Engineer KIA

SGT Everett Talley -Right Waist Gunner POW

SGT Paul Thiele -Tail Gunner KIA

2LT White died 13 Sept 1944 after their B-17G was hit by enemy flak. He was awarded the Purple Heart.

His grave is at Arlington National Cemetery at Section 12 Plot 6265-67, he is in a common grave with his crewmates 1st LT Waters and SSG Thiele, where he was interned in 1950 after initially being buried overseas.