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Submit- Full
name
GARNETT, Henry Walter - Date of
birth
5 December 1915 -
Age
28 - Place of
birth
Alpine, Brewster County, Texas -
Hometown
Presidio County, Texas
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
18089166 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Right Waist Gunner -
Unit
20th Bombardment Squadron,
2nd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
7 July 1944 - Place of
death
North of Gyor, Hungary
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 44 | 10 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Will W. Garnett (father)
Bertha L. (Gossett) Garnett (mother)
Francis W. Garnett (brother)
Larue Garnett (sister)
Maxine (Merritt) Garnett (wife)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-97351 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Blechhammer, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the oil refinery
MACR: 6565
More information
S/Sgt Henry W. Garnett attended attended Sul Ross State College for one year and was a sales clerk. He volunteered for the Air Corps of the Army of the United States at Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas on 5 January 1942.Statement of 1st Lt James E. Wagner:
"I had just glanced back to see the position of the squadron on my right wing, when I saw a lone Me-109 diving on B-17 No. 351 from the 4 o 'clock position, slightly high.The E/A closed in very near to the B-17 and then fired four or five bursts. I could see shots entering the tail section. Then the B-17 No. 351 pulled to the right, and straight up and fell off to the left and went into a flat spin. I lost sight before I saw any chutes, and the plane was still in a spin. This was at 1000 hours, at approximately 48-10N, 17-42 E, from an altitude of 21,000 feet."
Five crew members were killed in the crash, four were taken prisoner. The co-pilot, 1st Reese N. Burks died in a POW camp.
S/Sgt Henry G. Garnett is remembered with a memorial marker at Elm Grove Cemetery in Alpine, Brewster County.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Peter Schouteten, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.ancestry.com - 1920/1930 Census, www.archives.gov, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: Jac Engels, www.findagrave.com - Mike VanBlaricom, The Grand Island Daily Independent - 28 August 1944, Sul Ross State College 1931