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name
BRINE, William Charles - Date of
birth
12 December 1920 -
Age
23 - Place of
birth
Somerville, Middlesex County, Massachusetts -
Hometown
Swampscott, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-722916 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Navigator -
Unit
365th Bombardment Squadron,
305th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
7 October 1944 - Place of
death
Near Sankt Mauritz, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 33 | 2 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Philip A. Brine (father)
Katherine F. Brine (mother)
Robert J. Brine (brother)
Katherine L. Brine (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
43-38151 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Zwickau, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the airfield
MACR: 9354
More information
2nd Lt William C. Brine graduated from Cranston High School in 1938 and attended college. He was employed at Munroe & Tompkins.He enlisted in Boston, Massachusetts on 25 July 1942.
The group encountered intense accurate flak. The tip of the left wing was blown off which stated a fire at the wing tip and also in No. 4 engine. The airplane went straight down in a slow spin. Eyewitnesses reported it exploded at about 8,000 feet. No parachutes were seen. Two crew members were taken prisoner, eight were killed. They were initially buried at the community cemetery of Sprakel on 9 October 1944.
His brother, Robert J. Brine, is also buried at the Ardennes.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, WWIImemorial, Archives, Ancestry, Fold3, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/18238601, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, www.findagrave.com - Bonnie Kehoe-Gove, Cranston High School 1938