Jack Gibbens Adair (1923 - 1943)

Ancestors

Biography

Jack Gibbens Adair was born in 1923 in Bourbon county, Kentucky and was the son of Allan Percy Adair (1893–1973) and Sadie Ray Gibbens (1898–1976)^[1], who were married on 29 June 1919 at Kerrville, Kerr county, Texas. He had an older brother, Allen Percy Adair (III), born 27 August 1920.

His father had served as a Sergeant and Army engineer in the US Army in WWI. His brother was three years older, Allen Percy, enlisted on 29 Sep 1941 as an aviation cadet and also served during WWII.

Residence in 1930 was in the District 7, Bourbon county, Kentucky.^[2]

Jack Adair, his father and brother took several first and second prizes for boars and sows in the Duroe division of the Bourbon County Fall Festival of 1939.

Residence in 1940 was in the Magisterial District 7, Bourbon county, Kentucky.^[3]

Military Service was on 19 Mar 1942 at Lexington, Kentucky.^[4] He received his wings and commission at Stockton Field, California in November, 1942.

He was assigned to the 338th Bomber Squadron (338th BS), 96th Bombardment Group (H) (96th BG) equipped with Boeing B-17 “Flying Fortress” bombers. From May through July, 1943, Jack and his crew became experienced combat aviators, veterans of numerous missions over Germany and occupied Europe as part of the 338th/96th BG, 8th AF and participated in Operation POINTBLANK the Allied Strategic Bombing Campaign against Germany.

On 28 July 1943, his last raid over Germany, his ship was damaged by enemy fire and two of his crew members were wounded. Several of the Fortress’s guns were knocked out and the ship was twice set afire.

“Many Americans were flying their fourth mission in five days. They had been exhausted before they took off in the morning. Germans bounced out of the clouds on Lt. Steve Hettrick's 338th A/C 42-30401. The first pass reduced Hettrick's airspeed just enough to isolate him for the second pass. The crew bailed out over the North Sea...When the final toll was taken, it was revealed that 7 aircraft failed to return to Snetterton. Listed as MIA were the crews of Lts. Deshotels, Covert, Wilcox, Moore, Hettrick, Nance and Capt. Fulton. Even so, by "lights out" there were seventy empty cots at Snetterton. In fact, the 96th had sustained the highest losses of both the 1st and 4th Bomb Wings. https://www.rumboogiecrew.com/mission18july281943

Missing in Action with pilot: Steve Hettrick, Co-pilot: Jack Adair, Navigator: Calvin Bramlett, Bombardier: Marshall Herrick*, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bill Connell*, Radio Operator: Bill Reeves, Ball turret gunner: Clifford Kinney, Waist gunner: Bronislaus Kubis*, Waist gunner: Chas Mossbey, Tail gunner: Stan Lukowitz (10 KIA - *bodies washed up ashore weeks later); enemy aircraft, crashed North Sea; Missing Air Crew Report 139.” https://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/4394 “2nd Lieutenant Jack Adair was the Co-Pilot of B17 42-30401 “Gloria Ann.” Only three bodies were recovered in the weeks following the crash, Jack’s body was one of the seven never found.

The name of Jack G. Adair appears on the Tablets of the Missing, Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial, United Kingdom.^[5][6][7] Awards: The Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, plus the Purple Heart Medal. according to the biography on his burial memorial.

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

Crew of the B-17 Bomber "Gloria Ann"
Pilot - Hettrick, Stephen William 1st Lt.
Co-Pilot - Adair, Jack Gibbens 2nd Lt.
Navigator - Calvin Thornton Bramblett 2nd Lt.
Bombardier - Herrick, Marshall 2nd Lt.
Radio - William Witham Reeves T.Sgt.
Engineer - Connell, William Joseph T/Sgt.
Asst Radio - Kinney, Clifford Wilson S/Sgt.
Asst Engineer - Mosbey, Charles Raymond S/Sgt.
Asst Armorer - Kubis, Bronislaus Joseph Sgt.
Armorer - Lukowitz, Stanley S/Sgt.
From MACR (Missing Air Craft Report) dated 30 July 1943
A free space page has been created which has details and background information, some general and some specific, collected during the process of researching these ten crewmen who flew and fought on the Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress 42-30401.

Sources

1. ↑ FamilySearch.org, [1], Kentucky Births.
2. ↑ FamilySearch.org, [2], 1930 US Census.
3. ↑ FamilySearch.org, [3], 1940 US Census.
4. ↑ FamilySearch.org, [4], US WWII Enlistments.
5. ↑ Cambridge American Cemetery, [5] Tablets of the Missing.
6. ↑ FamilySearch.org, [6], Burial Index.
7. ↑ Find-a-Grave.com, [7], Burial Memorial.

• Jack G Adair, "Kentucky, Vital Record Indexes, 1911-1999"

Indexed Information
Name: Jack G Adair
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 1923
Event Place: Bourbon, Kentucky, United States
Sex: 9
Mother's Name: Saydie Gibuns
Citation
"Kentucky, Vital Record Indexes, 1911-1999," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKH2-C63H : 11 February 2018), Jack G Adair, 1923; citing Birth, Bourbon, Kentucky, United States, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort.

• Jack G Adair in household of Allen P Adair, "United States Census, 1930"

Indexed Information
Household - Role - Sex - Age - Birthplace
Allen P Adair - Head - Male - 36 - Kentucky
Sadie G Adair - Wife - Female - 32 - Texas
Allen P Adair 3rd - Son - Male - 9 - Mississippi
Jack G Adair - Son - Male - 6 - Kentucky
Citation
"United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMDK-1ZJ : accessed 26 November 2021), Jack G Adair in household of Allen P Adair, District 7, Bourbon, Kentucky, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 12, sheet 3A, line 37, family 58, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 732; FHL microfilm 2,340,467.

• Josh G Adair in household of Allan Adair, "United States Census, 1940"

Indexed Information
Household - Role - Sex - Age - Birthplace
Allan Adair - Head - Male - 47 - Kentucky
Sadie Adair - Wife - Female - 43 - Texas
Allan P Adair - Son - Male - 19 - Kentucky
Josh G Adair - Son - Male - 16 - Kentucky
Citation
"United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K751-7C1 : 9 January 2021), Josh G Adair in household of Allan Adair, Magisterial District 7 Centerville, Bourbon, Kentucky, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 9-15, sheet 13B, line 46, family 277, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 1281.

• Jack G Adair, "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946"

Indexed Information
Name: Jack G Adair
Event Type: Military Service
Event Date: 19 Mar 1942
Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
Event Place: Lexington, Kentucky, United States
Race: White
Citizenship Status: citizen
Birth Year: 1923
Birthplace: KENTUCKY
Education Level: 1 year of college
Civilian Occupation: Actors and actresses
Marital Status: Single, without dependents
Military Rank: Private
Army Branch: Air Corps
Army Component: 6
Source Reference: Civil Life
Serial Number: 15097152
Affiliate ARC Identifier: 1263923
Box Film Number: 01832.40
Citation
"United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8G9-YV9 : 5 December 2014), Jack G Adair, enlisted 19 Mar 1942, Lexington, Kentucky, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.

• Jack G Adair, "Find A Grave Index"

Indexed Information
Name: Jack G Adair
Event Type: Burial
Event Place: Coton, South Cambridgeshire District, Cambridgeshire, England
Age (Estimated): 20
Photograph Included: No
Birth Date: 29 Sep 1923
Death Date: 28 Jul 1943
Cemetery: Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial
Note: Contains Biography
Affiliate Record Identifier: 56287273
Citation
"Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKR-J92Z : 6 March 2021), Jack G Adair, ; Burial, Coton, South Cambridgeshire District, Cambridgeshire, England, Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial; citing record ID 56287273, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56287273/jack-g-adair : accessed 25 November 2021), memorial page for 2LT Jack G Adair (29 Sep 1923–28 Jul 1943), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56287273, citing Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial, Coton, South Cambridgeshire District, Cambridgeshire, England ; Maintained by Skip Farrow (contributor 47380732) .

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