Jim Marsteller is a renowned WWII aviation researcher best known for his in-depth work on the 392nd Bomb Group, particularly the “Books crew” shot down during the Friedrichshafen raid on March 18, 1944. A nephew of Flight Engineer Staff Sergeant Everette “Jim” Morris.
Marsteller’s personal connection and dedication have made him a primary historical source. He has spent decades researching crash sites, interviewing eyewitnesses in Germany, recovering wreckage, and locating crew families across the U.S.
Born on a farm in Pennsylvania in 1946, Marsteller was driven by family ties to the war—his uncle’s death galvanized his decades-long research journey that began in the early 1980s after inheriting family WWII documents.
In the early 1990s he co-led trips to England and Germany with Ben Jones, documenting crash sites and securing eyewitness accounts from German villagers. Jim and Ben traveled to dozens of crash locations, uncovering the tail turret, compass, and cockpit glass from the Books crew’s B-24. In the mid 1990s Jim located and connected with surviving crew family members via publicity in local newspapers.
Jim is the co-founder of www.b24.net—now the official site of the 392nd Bomb Group Memorial Association—alongside Jones, Bob Books (pilot’s son), and Greg Hatton (POW researcher)
