Having actually gone "Missing" on the above date, he was not officially declared by the military as being dead until July 30, 1946.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Son of Mrs. Katie Bauer who resided in Baltimore, Maryland.
Chester served as a Corporal & Asst. Radio Operator / Gunner on B-24D "Lakanooki" #42-40857, 371st Bomber Squadron, 307th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.
He resided in Baltimore, Maryland prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on September 7, 1943 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Driver and also as Single, with dependents.
B-24D #42-40857 took off from Mokerang Airfield (APO #719), Los Negros Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea on a combat mission over Yap Island.
When returning from the mission they appeared to have mechanical problems with 3 of their engines which caused the pilot to ditch appx. 240 miles north of the Wakde Islands during the war.
Chester was declared "Missing In Action" in this ditching.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 33734914
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24D #42-40857:
Bauer, Chester ~ Corp, Gunner, MD
Callaway, Jack S, Jr ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, OK
Klinefelter, Leslie E ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier, VT
McNab, Sherlock T, Jr ~ Sgt, Radio Operator, FL
Patla, Joseph G ~ Corp, Gunner, IL
Smethurst, Harold A, Jr ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, NY
2nd Lt. Gayle W. Kizer (Pilot), 2nd Lt. Richard D. Wiley (Navigator), Corp. James W. Erickson (Gunner), Sgt. Hilary Gilbert, Jr. (Photographer), and Corp. Robert G. Ashby (Gunner), who was declared "Missing In Action" on a later mission ( all survived the ditching.
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Son of Mrs. Katie Bauer who resided in Baltimore, Maryland.
Chester served as a Corporal & Asst. Radio Operator / Gunner on B-24D "Lakanooki" #42-40857, 371st Bomber Squadron, 307th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.
He resided in Baltimore, Maryland prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on September 7, 1943 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Driver and also as Single, with dependents.
B-24D #42-40857 took off from Mokerang Airfield (APO #719), Los Negros Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea on a combat mission over Yap Island.
When returning from the mission they appeared to have mechanical problems with 3 of their engines which caused the pilot to ditch appx. 240 miles north of the Wakde Islands during the war.
Chester was declared "Missing In Action" in this ditching.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 33734914
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24D #42-40857:
Bauer, Chester ~ Corp, Gunner, MD
Callaway, Jack S, Jr ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, OK
Klinefelter, Leslie E ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier, VT
McNab, Sherlock T, Jr ~ Sgt, Radio Operator, FL
Patla, Joseph G ~ Corp, Gunner, IL
Smethurst, Harold A, Jr ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, NY
2nd Lt. Gayle W. Kizer (Pilot), 2nd Lt. Richard D. Wiley (Navigator), Corp. James W. Erickson (Gunner), Sgt. Hilary Gilbert, Jr. (Photographer), and Corp. Robert G. Ashby (Gunner), who was declared "Missing In Action" on a later mission ( all survived the ditching.
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Having actually gone "Missing" on the above date, he was not officially declared by the military as being dead until July 30, 1946.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Son of Mrs. Katie Bauer who resided in Baltimore, Maryland.
Chester served as a Corporal & Asst. Radio Operator / Gunner on B-24D "Lakanooki" #42-40857, 371st Bomber Squadron, 307th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.
He resided in Baltimore, Maryland prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on September 7, 1943 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Driver and also as Single, with dependents.
B-24D #42-40857 took off from Mokerang Airfield (APO #719), Los Negros Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea on a combat mission over Yap Island.
When returning from the mission they appeared to have mechanical problems with 3 of their engines which caused the pilot to ditch appx. 240 miles north of the Wakde Islands during the war.
Chester was declared "Missing In Action" in this ditching.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 33734914
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24D #42-40857:
Bauer, Chester ~ Corp, Gunner, MD
Callaway, Jack S, Jr ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, OK
Klinefelter, Leslie E ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier, VT
McNab, Sherlock T, Jr ~ Sgt, Radio Operator, FL
Patla, Joseph G ~ Corp, Gunner, IL
Smethurst, Harold A, Jr ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, NY
2nd Lt. Gayle W. Kizer (Pilot), 2nd Lt. Richard D. Wiley (Navigator), Corp. James W. Erickson (Gunner), Sgt. Hilary Gilbert, Jr. (Photographer), and Corp. Robert G. Ashby (Gunner), who was declared "Missing In Action" on a later mission ( all survived the ditching.
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Son of Mrs. Katie Bauer who resided in Baltimore, Maryland.
Chester served as a Corporal & Asst. Radio Operator / Gunner on B-24D "Lakanooki" #42-40857, 371st Bomber Squadron, 307th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.
He resided in Baltimore, Maryland prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on September 7, 1943 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Driver and also as Single, with dependents.
B-24D #42-40857 took off from Mokerang Airfield (APO #719), Los Negros Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea on a combat mission over Yap Island.
When returning from the mission they appeared to have mechanical problems with 3 of their engines which caused the pilot to ditch appx. 240 miles north of the Wakde Islands during the war.
Chester was declared "Missing In Action" in this ditching.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 33734914
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24D #42-40857:
Bauer, Chester ~ Corp, Gunner, MD
Callaway, Jack S, Jr ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, OK
Klinefelter, Leslie E ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier, VT
McNab, Sherlock T, Jr ~ Sgt, Radio Operator, FL
Patla, Joseph G ~ Corp, Gunner, IL
Smethurst, Harold A, Jr ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, NY
2nd Lt. Gayle W. Kizer (Pilot), 2nd Lt. Richard D. Wiley (Navigator), Corp. James W. Erickson (Gunner), Sgt. Hilary Gilbert, Jr. (Photographer), and Corp. Robert G. Ashby (Gunner), who was declared "Missing In Action" on a later mission ( all survived the ditching.
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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