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Personal info

Full name
BURGESS, Lewis William Jr
Date of birth
8 November 1921
Age
21
Place of birth
Canton, Stark County, Ohio
Hometown
Canton, Stark County, Ohio

Military service

Service number
15323465
Rank
Staff Sergeant
Function
Left Waist Gunner
Unit
511th Bombardment Squadron,
351st Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters

Death

Status
Killed in Action
Date of death
4 October 1943
Place of death
Westerschelde, east of Ellewoutsdijk, The Netherlands

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
Plot Row Grave
D 20 17

Immediate family

Members
Lewis W. Burgess (father)
Lillie B. Burgess (mother)
Catherine (Bohnsack) Burgess (wife)

Plane data

Serial number
42-5807
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: Rikki Tikki Tavi aka Minor Ball
Destination: Frankfurt, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the Vereinigte Deutsche Metallwerke (VDM) aviation industry
MACR: 910

More information

Lewis Burgess was an optician.

He volunteered for the Air Corps of the Army of the United States at Fort Hayes, Ohio on 23 October 1942.

The aircraft was shot down by flak and enemy aircraft on the return flight and crashed at 12.25 h.

The entire crew of ten men was killed.

Only two bodies were recovered. S/Sgt Towsley's body washed ashore. The exact date and location is not known. The body of S/Sgt Burgess washed ashore at Buitenhaven, Vlissingen on 19 October 1943. He was initially buried at the Northern Cemetery of Vlissingen a day later.

On 10 April 1946 he was evacuated to Ardennes Cemetery where he was initially buried in a temporary grave on 27 April 1946. On 25 March 1949 he was given his final resting place.

Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.ancestry.com - Army enlistment Record / 1940 Census, www.americanairmuseum.com, IDPF

Photo source: Jac Engels, Repository - 26 August 1944