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name
GAINES, Edmund Wilfred - Date of
birth
30 July 1922 -
Age
22 - Place of
birth
Indiana -
Hometown
Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-819079 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
359th Bombardment Squadron,
303rd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Died of Wounds - Date of
death
16 October 1944 - Place of
death
Frechen, southwest of Cologne, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| D | 20 | 9 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Reverend Louis S. Gaines (father)
Lois E. (Hart) Gaines (mother)
George Gaines (brother)
Robert B. Gaines (brother)
David H. Gaines (brother)
Dorcas A. Gaines (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
43-38604 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Cologne, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the Eifeltor marschalling yard
Macr: 9472
More information
2nd Lt Edmund W. Gaines graduated from Lexington High School and Mars Hille College.He volunteered for the Air Corps of the Army of the United States at Shaw Field, Sumter, North Carolina on 25 June 1942.
The mission was flown on 15 October. According to several documents in the MACR, the date of death of all the deceased crew members was on that day. According to a newspaper article in the Charlotte Observer of 13 February 1945, Lt Gaines died of his wounds on 16 October.
The airplane was lost after being hit by flak over the target. It received a direct hit between engines #1 and #2. It caught fire and flames enveloped the entire wing. The B-17 started down, made a complete turn, losing altitude as it did so, went down in a steep dive and blew up at about 10,000 feet. Eight crew members were killed.
His brothers George and Robert also served with the Army Air Corps.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Peter Schouteten, Terry Hirsch, 303rd Bomb Group, WWIIMemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.8thafhs.com
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Michel Beckers /Gary Moncur 303rdBG, Charlotte Observer of 13 February 1945