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name
LOFTIS, Bryant M - Date of
birth
17 May 1920 -
Age
23 - Place of
birth
Caswell County, North Carolina -
Hometown
Stony Creek, Caswell County, North Carolina
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
33120326 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Tail Gunner -
Unit
331st Bombardment Squadron,
94th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
21 May 1943 - Place of
death
Stobben-Vlagtwedde, The Netherlands
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| C | 36 | 21 |
Immediate family
-
Members
David F. Loftis (father)
Annie W. (Adams) Loftis (mother)
Lottie L. Loftis (sister)
Bertha P. Loftis (sister)
Malissie A. Loftis (sister)
Thomas K. Loftis (brother)
Robert P. Loftis (brother)
Ruth R. Loftis (sister)
Lula L. Loftis (sister)
Clayborn B. Loftis (brother)
Curtis W. Loftis (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-29727 -
Data
Type: B-17 F
Nickname: In Der Fuehrer’s Face
Destination: Emden, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the port
More information
S/Sgt Bryant M. Loftis joined the Air Corps of the Regular Army at Camp Lee, Virginia on 18 October 1941.The airplane was attacked by enemy fighters, which caused a fire in #3 engine and in the radio room. According to statements of dutch citizens the airplane came down burning fiercely and exploded when it hit the ground.
Two crew members survived and were taken prisoner, eight were killed. They were initially buried at the cemetery of Vlagtwedde, The Netherlands.
His brother Pfc Curtis W. Loftis was killed on 12 July 1944 and is buried at Honolulu Memorial on Hawaii. His brother Seaman Clayborn Loftis served with the U.S. Navy in the North African Waters.
S/Sgt Loftis is remembered at the Highland Burial Park in Danville, Virginia.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - 1930 Census, Various Family Trees / Headstone and Interment Record, www.newspapers.com - The Bee (Virginia), www.americanairmuseum.com, SLO Drenthe
Photo source: www.findagrave.com, www.newspapers.com - The Bee (Virginia), Dylan P. Moore