Welcome to the Connellsville Canteen!
An Initiative of the Fayette County Cultural Trust
Michael Prestia
Served the 8th Air Force Stationed in Deopham Green, England aboard B-17 Bombers.
452nd Bomb Group Headquarters
730th Squadron
1st Lt. US Army Air Force
Combat Awards:
Good Conduct Medal
Aerial Gunner
Navigator
European Battle Medal with Silver Star and two Bronze Stars
Air Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters
WWII Victory Medal
Some Group Missions In Attendance:
Aircraft Date Mission
Frivolous Sal II- January 8, 1945 Communation Center at Waxweiller near Luneback.
Lady Gay- November 26, 1944 Rail Road Marshalling yard at Hamm, Germany.
Laka Saky #185- October 15, 1944 Concrete re-enforcement cover for submarine pens
at Heligoland Island in the North Sea
Our Buddy #972 - August 25, 1944 Target Synthetic Oil Refinery at Politz, near Stettin
- August 30, 1944 Folke Wolfe Aircraft Factory Assembly Plant in the
port city of Bremen, North Germany
- September 9, 1944 Dusseldorf, Germany, The Fabian Chemical
Works and AA Gun Factory
- November 2, 1944 Water Works adjacent to the Synthetic Oil Refinery
in Merseburg, Germany
Richters Raiders #814 February 17, 1945 Frankfurt au Maine, Germany
Sack Time Sioux #660- September 19, 1944 Chemical Plant Weisbaden,Germany
Slightly Dangerous- November 5, 1944 AA gun emplacements at Thionville and the Rail
Road Marshalling Yards at Ludwigshaven, Germany.
- December 24, 1944 The Airfield at Darmstadt, Germany and also
to assist the ground forces counterattack at the Ardenns. "The
Battle of the Bulge".
-January 3, 1945 Fulda, near Strasburg, Germany
-January 5, 1945 Lattarva and Koblenz to the Rail Road Yards of
Hanau.
-January 17, 1945 Mostly over water to the sub pens and works at
Hamburg, Germany.
-January 28, 1945 Rail Road Marshalling Yards at Hohenbudberg,
Germany near Duisberg.
Stork II- October 14, 1944 Five Rail Road Marshaling Yards at Cologne, Germany
(Unknown) #345- August 31, 1944 Tank and Buzz Bomb assembly plant at Mainz, West
Germany
(Unknown) #987- September 8, 1944 Mainz Germany
(Unknown) #973- September 17, 1944 Gun emplacements on an airfield at Appledorn
near Arnheim, Belgium
(Unknown) #073- October 24, 1944 Oil Refinery in Hamburg, Germany
(Unknown) #970- October 26, 1944 Parts Manufacturer for Tanks, Trucks Guns and
Aircraft in Hanover, Germany.
(Unknown) #308- November 4, 1944- Coke Works at Neukirken (Neunkirchen) Germany.
Republic of France - Minister of Defense
In recognition of the French effort -
The allied armies engagement in combat in Normandy and the liberation of France 1944 - 1945.
21 February 2007 - Signed by the Secretary of Defense in charge of previous combatants.