Grant, Olen (NMI)

Individual Personnel Data
Name	Grant, Olen (NMI), "Reb" ‡ ⇗
Rank	Private / Technical Sergeant
Serial Number	18135581 ‡
Unit Assignments	Assigned to the 384th Bombardment Group Headquarters Detachment, per General Orders #176, Section III, Paragraph No. 1, HQ Fort Wainwright, Washington (Activation of Headquarters Detachment), effective 1 December 1942. Assigned to the 545th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), per HQ 384th Bomb Group, Wendover Field, Utah, Special Orders #59 dated 11 March 1943, effective 11 March 1943.
Duty	Armorer / Flexible Gunner
MOS	911 - Airplane Armorer
Last Duty Date	6 September 1943
Results	Prisoner Of War POW Camp: Stalag 17B Braunau Gneikendorf Near Krems Austria 48-15
Additional Information	Appointed from Sergeant to Staff Sergeant on 1 January 1943 per 384th Bomb Group January 1943 Payroll Roster. Appointed from Staff Sergeant to Technical Sergeant on 1 February 1943 per 384th Bomb Group February 1943 Payroll Roster. Assigned to the armament section of the 384th at Wendover early in the Group's history (c.f. 'To Kingdom Come' by Robert Mrazek). Promoted to Private First Class effective 1 May 1943 per 545th Bomb Squadron Morning Report dated 3 May 1943. Promoted to Corporal effective 15 May 1943 per 545th Bomb Squadron Morning report dated 16 May 1943. Listed on the 545th Bomb Squadron Initial Overseas Roster dated 12 June 1943 with MOS 911. Grant was reclassified from MOS 911, Armorer to MOS 612, Armorer/Gunner in-theater to become an aerial gunner. Promoted from Corporal to Sergeant on AAF Station 106 Special Orders #46 dated 10 July 1943. Placed on Detached Service on or about 2 August 1943 for approximately ten days to Gunnery School located at Snettisham, Norfolk; AAF Station 106 Special Orders 61 dated 2 August 1943. Promoted to Staff Sergeant per AAF Station 106 Special Orders # 90 dated 5 September 1943. Grant was seriously wounded on the 6 September 1943 mission, when a 20mm round from an enemy aircraft hit the right side of his head. Unable to bail out with rest of crew, and unconscious, he rode the plane down to a smooth landing - with no pilot. He was treated for several months in a German hospital before being sent to Stalag 17B. He was later returned to the Zone of the Interior on a prisoner exchange.
Related Documents	Missing Air Crew Report # 772⇓ (24.824 MB) 2015 Oral History Interview⇗
Photos of this Veteran signing the Wing Panel	Grant Signing⇗

Missions, Aircraft, Crews
This individual was credited with 2 Combat Missions.
Number	Date	Target	Position	Aircraft	Mission/Sortie Information
18⇗	27 August 1943	Target: NOBALL (V-1 Launch Site) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Watten, France	Waist (Flexible) Gunner	42‑29699⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
21⇗	6 September 1943	Type: Industry Location: Stuttgart, Germany	Waist (Flexible) Gunner	41‑24507⇗	Combat Mission Credit Failed To Return Two bomb runs due to overcast at target; enemy aircraft and flak knocked out two engines; insufficient fuel to reach England, crashed near Étrépagny, France; MACR 772. Sortie Report⇗

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