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name
WAY, John Richard - Date of
birth
30 March 1920 -
Age
23 - Place of
birth
Plainfield, Union County, New Jersey -
Hometown
Englewood, Bergen County, New Jersey
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-793872 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
544th Bombardment Squadron,
384th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Missing in Action - Date of
death
25 June 1943 - Place of
death
Dollard, German-Dutch border
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten - Walls of the Missing
Immediate family
-
Members
William R. Way (father)
Mary T. (McDonnell) Way (mother)
William Way (brother)
Catherine Way (sister)
Frances C. Way (sister)
Mary A. Way (sister)
Florence M. Way (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-30049 -
Data
Type: B-17
Nickname: Miss Deal
Destination: Hamburg, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the industrial area and submarine pens
MACR: 16349
More information
2nd Lt John R. Way worked in a bank before he joined the Air Corps on 12 January 1942.After making two unsuccessful runs on the primary target, the crew headed for Emden as a likely target for their bomb load. The flak guns found them, inflicting serious damage and injuries, and then they ran into fighters. A furious running battle ensued, with some crew members bailing out, and finally the aircraft exploded. The main part of the wreckage came down in the Dollard (Dutch: Dollart), an embayment of the Ems River on the border between Germany and the Netherlands.
Eight crew members were taken prisoner, and two men were killed.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Peter Schouteten, Terry Hirsch, www.384thbombgroup.com, www.ancestry.com
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, The Record - 12 November 1942