George Joseph Ferenchak was born at Fullerton, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania on February 23, 1919. He was one of at least eight children of John Ferenchak (27 Oct 1892 – 21 Feb 1975) and Anna (Hamilla) Ferenchak (14 Oct 1898 – 1 Mar 1962), who were both born in Austria-Hungary. (In some records the surname is spelled Ferencsak and Ferenczak. Some family members changed it to Ferenschak.) His father immigrated to America about 1910, and his mother about 1913. His parents married at Catasauqua, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania on February 1, 1916. In 1917 his parents lived at Fullerton, Pennsylvania (just north of Allentown), and his father was employed as a laborer at Lehigh Car and Axle Works. By 1930 the family lived at 225 Front Street, Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, and his father was employed as a laborer at the cement mill of Lehigh Portland Cement Company at Ormrod, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
He graduated from Catasauqua High School in May 1937.He registered for the draft at Wilmington, Delaware on October 16, 1940. He was 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighed 140 pounds, and had brown eyes and brown hair. At that time he was employed by Bellanca Aircraft Company in New Castle, Delaware. He was a skilled mechanic and repairman, single and without dependents, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Wilmington, Delaware on March 12, 1942. His home of record was 225 Front Street, Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, his father's address in 1944.
He wanted to be a pilot. He entered Army Air Forces Aviation Cadet training, and completed the Classification and Preflight phases at San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center in Texas. He then entered the Primary phase of pilot training. There are photos of him during Preflight training at Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texas; and photos during Primary training in the Fairchild PT-19 aircraft. He washed out of pilot training sometime after beginning the Primary phase, and went on to complete Army Air Forces radio operator and aerial gunnery training. He was assigned as radio operator on the heavy bomber crew of Lt William J. Waldron.
The Waldron crew completed B-17 operational training at Ardmore, Oklahoma, and was assigned to the 836th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 by October 19, 1944, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.
On December 24, 1944, the 8th Air Force launched mission #760, the largest aerial mission of the war, which involved more than 2000 heavy bombers. The mission was to bomb German airfields and supply lines, to stop the German offensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 487th Bomb Group led the entire 8th Air Force that day. Lt Waldron's crew flew B-17G 43-38926 in the number nine position in the Low Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group formation. The Group's target was the airfield at Babenhausen, Germany, but the formation was attacked by German fighters before reaching the target. S/Sgt Ferenchak and five of his crew mates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. Three men were blown clear and survived when the aircraft exploded in the air. The B-17 crashed near Rouvreux, Belgium, about 15 miles south of Liege.
S/Sgt Ferenchak is buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Belgium. He is memorialized on the Catasauqua Veterans Memorial in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania.
B-17G 43-38926 crew:
• Waldron, William J – 2/Lt – Pilot – Safe
• Eshleman, Oscar F – 2/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Shuster, Joseph S – F/O – Navigator – KIA
• Neu, Russell C – 2/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Andrew, Benedict A – S/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Ferenchak, George J – S/Sgt – Radio operator – KIA
• Baganz, Reuben F – S/Sgt – Ball turret gunner – KIA
• Isley, Eugene S – S/Sgt – Waist gunner – Safe
• Naughton, James P – S/Sgt – Tail gunner – KIA
Source of information: Paul Webber, www.findagrave.com