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Submit- Full
name
COOK, Mervin Woodrow - Date of
birth
1 January 1916 -
Age
27 - Place of
birth
Clayton, Union County, New Mexico -
Hometown
Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
17027083 -
Rank
Sergeant -
Function
Tail Gunner -
Unit
331st Bombardment Squadron,
94th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
20 October 1943 - Place of
death
Between the roads Overbroekseweg and Horsterweg
Leunen, The Netherlands
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| D | 22 | 10 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Thomas L. Cook (father)
Gracie M. (Holcomb) Cook (mother)
Eugene D. Cook (brother)
Norman C. Cook (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-3130 -
Data
Type: B-17F
Nickname: Nip’n Tuck II
Destination: Düren, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the railway complex and aviation industry
MACR: 902
More information
Sgt Mervin W. Cook graduated from Lincoln High School in 1934.He joined the Air Corps on 30 December 1940 at Fort Des Moines, Iowa.
On the return flight, the airplane was attacked by enemy fighters. It was so badly hit it exploded in mid-air. Debris were scattered across a wide area.
Eight crew members were killed and initially buried at the military cemetery of Venlo. Two crew members survived and were taken prisoner.
In 2014 a local research team, the Planehunters Recovery Team, found parts of the airplane in the vicinity of the crash. It was decided to erect a monument at the Hoogriebroekseweg in honor of the crew.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - Family Trees / 1930 Census / Enlistment Record, http://www.planehunters.be/, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: www.findagrave.com, www.newspapers.com - The Des Moines Register - 13 February 1944