1st Lieutenant Julian P. Bell was the Bombardier on a B17G, AC # 42-32027, piloted by Henry G. Way, on Mission #187 on June 21, 1944. The plane was shot down by flak just after releasing bombs over Berlin. Five of the crew were killed and the rest captured. That crew was part of the Hell's Angels, the 303rd Bomb Group. The web site www.303rdbga.com has good information and pictures of this crew.
It appears that Bell enlisted in New York January 23, 1942; that means he went to OCS later that year. Bell is listed as 2nd Lt. on many sites, but it appears that he was posthumously promoted to 1st Lt.
The medal group includes Bell's posthumous officially engraved Purple Heart and Air Medal, with their respective presentation cases. Part of the MACR is included, that shows the point of departure of Bell's flight as Molesworth, England.
