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name
KOEHLER, John W - Date of
birth
12 January 1920 -
Age
24 -
Place of birth
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania -
Hometown
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
33174039 -
Rank
Technical Sergeant -
Function
Radio Operator -
Unit
750th Bombardment Squadron,
457th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Missing in Action - Date of
death
7 October 1944 - Place of
death
The bay of Szczecin
Szczecin, Poland
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten - Walls of the Missing
Immediate family
-
Members
Jacob Koehler (father)
Catherine M. (Schmidt) Koehler (mother)
Earl Koehler (brother)
Elsie M. Koehler (sister)
Sylvester Koehler (brother)
Eleanore Koehler (sister)
Marie Koehler (sister)
Clara Koehler (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-8046 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Politz, Poland
Mission: Bombing of the synthetic oil refinery
MACR: 9767
More information
T/Sgt John W. Koehler graduated from Connelly Trade School and worked for the Gulf Oil Corporation.He enlisted on 13 March 1942 at Fort G. Meade, Maryland and was sent overseas in December 1942.
The group was the subject of intense, accurate flak, both barrage and tracking type. The #2 engine and perhaps #3 caught on fire. The aircraft went down in a steep dive, spiral, or flat spin. The engine and piece of the right wing came off. Then a section of the tail came off. The plane blew up or fell apart. Some pieces were seen to land in Stettiner Harbor.
The MACR holds a report stating that S/Sgt Koehler was admitted at the Reserve Hospital II in Szczecin. No records can explain why his remains are missing.
In 2022 a group of researchers of the Polish Arms Museum in KoĊobrzeg discovered remains of the wreckage in the bay of Szczecin. Of three crew members, the remains were never found, and they could still be inside the wreckage. It is now being investigated to determine if the wreckage can be salvaged. A report on the search can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=856GeNDah5E
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.ancestry.com - Veteran Compensation Application File / 1930 Census / Family Trees, www.newspapers.com - The Pittsburgh Press
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Michel Beckers, Homepage - The 457th Bomb Group (H) Association (457thbombgroupassoc.org)