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name
WIBERG, Byron Alvin Jr - Date of
birth
1920 -
Age
unknown - Place of
birth
Fulton County, Georgia -
Hometown
Fulton County, Georgia
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
14066272 -
Rank
Technical Sergeant -
Function
Radio Operator -
Unit
561st Bombardment Squadron,
388th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Died of Wounds - Date of
death
14 January 1944 - Place of
death
Apeldoorn, The Netherlands
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 17 | 21 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Byron A. Wiberg (father)
Gertrude E. (Fuller) Wiberg (mother)
Jessie D. Mote (stepfather)
Mildred M. Mote (half-sister)
Dore L. Mote (half-sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-37867 -
Data
Nickname: Berlin Ambassador
Type: B-17G
Destination: Brunswick, Germany
Mision: Bombing of the MIAG-Waggum aviation industry
MACR: 3140
More information
T/Sgt Byron A. Wiberg, Jr was a post office clerk.He volunteered for the Air Corps of the Army of the United States at fort McPherson, Georgia on 1 January 1942.
The crash took place on 11 January 1944.
The aircraft was hit by flak, causing #2 and #3 engine destroyed and to be feathered. On two engines, the Berlin Express struggled in the direction of the Dutch border. The plane lost more and more altitude and the pilot, Lt Hoehn, could not keep it in the air. He managed to crash the airplane at a portsground in Zwolle, avoiding the town center.
Six crew members survived, four men were killed.
Sgt Wiberg died at a German military hospital in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands four days later.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Raf Dyckmans, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / 1930 Census
Photo source: Michel Beckers/Dick Henggeler, WWW.388bg.org, Nico Leers