DOB/DOD: July 19, 1923 (Baldwinsville, MA) – June 4, 1978 (Charlotte, NC); 54 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married Mary Joan Wurthmann Green (1928-2020) on June 19, 1948, in Norwalk, CT. Married to Ann Jones Carroll (1933-) on September 6, 1969 in Norwalk, CT.
CHILDREN: Two daughters, Lisa A. Mudge Hartley Clarke (1950-) and Victoria S. “Tory” Mudge Meyer (1955-). Two stepdaughters, Catherine (?-) and Susan (?-).
LOCAL ADDRESS: 321 Rowayton Avenue, Norwalk
ENLISTMENT: January 12, 1942
SERVICE NUMBER: 11041536 (Enlisted) and O-752769 (Officer)
UNIT: 767th Bomb Squadron, 461st Bomb Group (Heavy)
FAMILY: Born to Philip C. (1873-1952) and Josephine E. Welch Mudge (1885-1955). Two brothers, Parker Bryant [Air Force veteran] (1914-1995) and Philip H. (1918-2011).
CIRCUMSTANCES: Captured on May 27, 1944, and set on the march to Dulag-Luft, Oberureel. Released on April 29, 1945, by General Patton’s 14th Armored Division. Returned to the United States the following September.
Norwalk High School Class of ’41
Missing Air Crew Report #5416
Date: May 27, 1944
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Aircraft type: B-24-H Liberator
Aircraft serial number: 42-52399
Details: Number 3 engine hit by flak. Witness statements say the plane seemed under control as it left the formation. They flew back over water, salvoed the bombs, and headed in the direction of Corsica. The plane was losing altitude fast, and then fire broke out under the right wing.
Crew of 42-52399 (10 total)
2nd Lt Gerald Joseph Maroney, Bronx NY, Pilot, Returned to duty
1st Lt Winston James Lawrence, Wellesley MA, Co-Pilot, Returned to duty (1915-1947)
2nd Lt Warren Roland Mudge, Norwalk CT, Bombardier, POW (1923-1978)
2nd Lt Paul A. Golden, Archibald PA, Navigator, Returned to duty
TSgt Harold Curtis Steele, La Grange TX, Top Turret Gunner, Returned to duty (1911-1981)
SSgt Benjamin Howard Norrid, Union City TN, Nose Turret Gunner, POW (1924-2016)
SSgt Donald Emerson Ellis, Audubon NJ, Left Waist Gunner, Returned to duty (1922-1992)
SSgt Alvin Lee Raines, Ferguson MO, Tail Gunner, POW (1924-2000)
SSgt Owen Burns Streeper, Normal IL, Ball Turret Gunner, Returned to duty (1922-2013)
Sgt Leon Zinner, Chicago IL, Right Waist Gunner, POW (1921-1968)
From The Norwalk Hour May 16, 1945
Mr. and Mrs. Philip C. Mudge of 2 Scofield Place have received a telegram from the War Department informing them that their son, Lieutenant Warren R. Mudge, who was reported missing in action over France since May 27, is a prisoner of Germany. He was located through the International Red Cross. Lieutenant Judge enlisted in the Army in January 1942 as a private. He received his commission and wings on August 21, 1942. He was a bombardier, and his plane was shot down over the European area.
From The Norwalk Hour July 5, 1944
Mr. and Mrs. Philip C. Mudge of 2 Scofield Place have received word from the War Department that their younger son, Lieutenant Warren R. Mudge, has been released from the German prison camp where he had been held since his capture last May. A bombardier on a Liberator, Lieutenant Mudge had been in the Air Force since 1942 and had received his commission in August 1943. Prior to his enlistment, he had been employed in the office of the Nash Engineering Company.
From The Norwalk Hour September 26, 1945
Atlantic City, N.J. – Second Lieutenant Warren R. Mudge of 2 Scofield Place, East Norwalk, Connecticut, has been relieved from active duty at the Army Air Force Redistribution Station Number 1 here after serving 44 months in the armed forces. Sixteen of those months were spent overseas in the Mediterranean theater, where he served as a bombardier on a B-24 for 25 combat missions. He wears the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart Medal, The Distinguished Unit Badge, and the European Theater of Operations Ribbon with three battle stars. Entering the service on January 12, 1942, at Fort Frances E. Warren, Wyoming, he received his commission as a Second Lieutenant on August 21, 1943, after undergoing training at Deming, New Mexico. He shipped overseas on January 27, 1944. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Philip C. Mudge, who reside at the same address. The lieutenant was a POW for 12 months until released by Patton’s 14th Armored Division on April 29, 1945. He returned to the United States on June 3, 1945.
Lt Mudge is buried in Forest Lawn West Cemetery, 601 Freedom Dr, Charlotte, NC; Section B. Photo from FindAGrave.com.
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