Staff Sergeant Elton D. Douglass, ball turret gunner; 824th Bomb Squadron, 484th Bomb Group, 49th Bomb Wing, 15th Army Air Force, stationed at Toretta Air Field, Italy.
Entered service from Illinois.
On December 17, 1944, S/SGT Douglass perished with eight other crew members of
B-24J #28 "Little Joe" (42-50934).
Bomber #28 was lost to fighter attack on a mission to Odertal, Germany (present day Zdzieszowice, Poland), at 1156 hrs. (MACR #10679). Rockets fired from an FW-190, piloted by Reudolf Zwesken of II/JG300, struck the bomber, killing several of the crew. Fire erupted in the waist area. Eight of the crew perished with the aircraft while three were able to bail out and became POWs. Just before impact, the tail section broke off and fell on top of a hill above the village of Liebau (present day Libinia). The rest of the bomber crashed in a meadow above the village of Wenzeldorf (present day Václavov), Czechoslovakia.
The crew was buried in a local cemetery. After the war, the bodies were exhumed and sent to the States or to the US cemetery in Saint-Avold, France, depending on the wishes of the families.
Note: Just minutes before Reudolf Zwesken shot down #28 "Little Joe," he shot down B-24J #12 "Paulette" (42-51324), 765th Bomb Squadron, 461st Bomb Group. One crew member was killed, seven were captured and became POWs, and two escaped. Zwesken had a total of 52 kills during the war.
Crew of #28 "Little Joe":
1LT Charles A. Himmler, Pilot, KIA
1LT John Ehnot Jr., Copilot, KIA
2LT Howard C. Long, Navigator, KIA
2LT Morris A. Daly Jr., Bombardier, KIA
S/SGT Doyle L. Kargel, Engineer/Waist Gunner, POW
S/SGT Walter F. Kendall, Radio Operator/Waist Gunner, POW
S/SGT Frank W. Carr, Nose Gunner, POW S/SGT George R. Lee, Top Turret Gunner, KIA S/SGT Elton D. Douglass, Ball Turret Gunner, KIA
S/SGT Vezio Egizi, Tail Gunner, KIA
SGT David V. Uber, Photographer, KIA
Entered service from Illinois.
On December 17, 1944, S/SGT Douglass perished with eight other crew members of
B-24J #28 "Little Joe" (42-50934).
Bomber #28 was lost to fighter attack on a mission to Odertal, Germany (present day Zdzieszowice, Poland), at 1156 hrs. (MACR #10679). Rockets fired from an FW-190, piloted by Reudolf Zwesken of II/JG300, struck the bomber, killing several of the crew. Fire erupted in the waist area. Eight of the crew perished with the aircraft while three were able to bail out and became POWs. Just before impact, the tail section broke off and fell on top of a hill above the village of Liebau (present day Libinia). The rest of the bomber crashed in a meadow above the village of Wenzeldorf (present day Václavov), Czechoslovakia.
The crew was buried in a local cemetery. After the war, the bodies were exhumed and sent to the States or to the US cemetery in Saint-Avold, France, depending on the wishes of the families.
Note: Just minutes before Reudolf Zwesken shot down #28 "Little Joe," he shot down B-24J #12 "Paulette" (42-51324), 765th Bomb Squadron, 461st Bomb Group. One crew member was killed, seven were captured and became POWs, and two escaped. Zwesken had a total of 52 kills during the war.
Crew of #28 "Little Joe":
1LT Charles A. Himmler, Pilot, KIA
1LT John Ehnot Jr., Copilot, KIA
2LT Howard C. Long, Navigator, KIA
2LT Morris A. Daly Jr., Bombardier, KIA
S/SGT Doyle L. Kargel, Engineer/Waist Gunner, POW
S/SGT Walter F. Kendall, Radio Operator/Waist Gunner, POW
S/SGT Frank W. Carr, Nose Gunner, POW S/SGT George R. Lee, Top Turret Gunner, KIA S/SGT Elton D. Douglass, Ball Turret Gunner, KIA
S/SGT Vezio Egizi, Tail Gunner, KIA
SGT David V. Uber, Photographer, KIA
Staff Sergeant Elton D. Douglass, ball turret gunner; 824th Bomb Squadron, 484th Bomb Group, 49th Bomb Wing, 15th Army Air Force, stationed at Toretta Air Field, Italy.
Entered service from Illinois.
On December 17, 1944, S/SGT Douglass perished with eight other crew members of
B-24J #28 "Little Joe" (42-50934).
Bomber #28 was lost to fighter attack on a mission to Odertal, Germany (present day Zdzieszowice, Poland), at 1156 hrs. (MACR #10679). Rockets fired from an FW-190, piloted by Reudolf Zwesken of II/JG300, struck the bomber, killing several of the crew. Fire erupted in the waist area. Eight of the crew perished with the aircraft while three were able to bail out and became POWs. Just before impact, the tail section broke off and fell on top of a hill above the village of Liebau (present day Libinia). The rest of the bomber crashed in a meadow above the village of Wenzeldorf (present day Václavov), Czechoslovakia.
The crew was buried in a local cemetery. After the war, the bodies were exhumed and sent to the States or to the US cemetery in Saint-Avold, France, depending on the wishes of the families.
Note: Just minutes before Reudolf Zwesken shot down #28 "Little Joe," he shot down B-24J #12 "Paulette" (42-51324), 765th Bomb Squadron, 461st Bomb Group. One crew member was killed, seven were captured and became POWs, and two escaped. Zwesken had a total of 52 kills during the war.
Crew of #28 "Little Joe":
1LT Charles A. Himmler, Pilot, KIA
1LT John Ehnot Jr., Copilot, KIA
2LT Howard C. Long, Navigator, KIA
2LT Morris A. Daly Jr., Bombardier, KIA
S/SGT Doyle L. Kargel, Engineer/Waist Gunner, POW
S/SGT Walter F. Kendall, Radio Operator/Waist Gunner, POW
S/SGT Frank W. Carr, Nose Gunner, POW S/SGT George R. Lee, Top Turret Gunner, KIA S/SGT Elton D. Douglass, Ball Turret Gunner, KIA
S/SGT Vezio Egizi, Tail Gunner, KIA
SGT David V. Uber, Photographer, KIA
Entered service from Illinois.
On December 17, 1944, S/SGT Douglass perished with eight other crew members of
B-24J #28 "Little Joe" (42-50934).
Bomber #28 was lost to fighter attack on a mission to Odertal, Germany (present day Zdzieszowice, Poland), at 1156 hrs. (MACR #10679). Rockets fired from an FW-190, piloted by Reudolf Zwesken of II/JG300, struck the bomber, killing several of the crew. Fire erupted in the waist area. Eight of the crew perished with the aircraft while three were able to bail out and became POWs. Just before impact, the tail section broke off and fell on top of a hill above the village of Liebau (present day Libinia). The rest of the bomber crashed in a meadow above the village of Wenzeldorf (present day Václavov), Czechoslovakia.
The crew was buried in a local cemetery. After the war, the bodies were exhumed and sent to the States or to the US cemetery in Saint-Avold, France, depending on the wishes of the families.
Note: Just minutes before Reudolf Zwesken shot down #28 "Little Joe," he shot down B-24J #12 "Paulette" (42-51324), 765th Bomb Squadron, 461st Bomb Group. One crew member was killed, seven were captured and became POWs, and two escaped. Zwesken had a total of 52 kills during the war.
Crew of #28 "Little Joe":
1LT Charles A. Himmler, Pilot, KIA
1LT John Ehnot Jr., Copilot, KIA
2LT Howard C. Long, Navigator, KIA
2LT Morris A. Daly Jr., Bombardier, KIA
S/SGT Doyle L. Kargel, Engineer/Waist Gunner, POW
S/SGT Walter F. Kendall, Radio Operator/Waist Gunner, POW
S/SGT Frank W. Carr, Nose Gunner, POW S/SGT George R. Lee, Top Turret Gunner, KIA S/SGT Elton D. Douglass, Ball Turret Gunner, KIA
S/SGT Vezio Egizi, Tail Gunner, KIA
SGT David V. Uber, Photographer, KIA
Inscription
ILLINOIS
SSGT
524 AAF BOMB SQ
WORLD WAR II
Feb 23 1925
Dec 17 1944
PURPLE HEART
AIR MEDAL
Gravesite Details
"524" is error. Should be "824" AAF BOMB SQ
Family Members
Other Records
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