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name
EFIRD, Lonnie Marshall - Date of
birth
16 October 1920 -
Age
23 - Place of
birth
Salisbury, Rowan County, North Carolina -
Hometown
Kannapolis, Rowan County, North Carolina
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
34312175 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Top Turret Gunner -
Unit
407th Bombardment Squadron,
92nd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
30 January 1944 - Place of
death
Near Ehlershausen or Odershagen, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 36 | 7 |
Immediate family
-
Members
David L. Efird (father)
Alma G. Efird (mother)
David L. Efird (brother)
Harold A. Efird (brother)
Sadie Bell (Johnson) Efird (wife)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-97441 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: -
Destination: Braunschweig, Germany
Mission: Bombing
MACR: 2254
More information
S/Sgt Lonnie M. Efird attended Landis High School.He enlisted on 22 July 1942 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
His plane was involved with another B-17G in a mid-air collision.
Statement from S/Sgt Alexander Philips 42-31494:
I was Tail Gunner on B-17G 42-31494 and we were flying Lead Ship, Second Element, Low Squadron, Lead Group. I first noticed the ships when a big burst of flame caught my eye. I saw the two ships, one on top of the other. The bottom ship was in flames. Suddenly the bottom ship exploded. The explosion of the lower ship tore the left wing of the upper ship and as it started to go down, it exploded too. The lower ball turret fell out from the lower ship. No parachutes were seen.
The picture was taken in high school in 1937.
Source of information: André Koch, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - 1920 Census, North Carolina Birth index, www.fold3.com - MACR, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: Jac Engels, Landis High School 1937