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name
WILDING, Thomas F - Date of
birth
28 October 1925 -
Age
19 - Place of
birth
West Virginia -
Hometown
Chapmanville, Logan County, West Virginia
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
15174349 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Ball Turret Gunner -
Unit
365th Bombardment Squadron,
305th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
10 April 1945 - Place of
death
Klein Gottschow, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| D | 7 | 8 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Thomas J. Wilding (father)
Dixie Wilding (mother)
Richard Wilding (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-6593 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Oranienburg, Germany
Mission: Bombing of Army HQ and airfield
MACR: 13876
More information
Thomas Wilding attended high school for four years.He joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in Charleston, West Virginia on 13 September 1943.
The airplane collided with A/C 43-38803 while making S-turns to lose time. A/C 44-6593 was cut in two, the tail broke off and disintegrated. Two crew members survived and were taken prisoner. Six men were killed.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - 1940 Census / U.S.,
Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, www.fold3.com MACR, www.8thafhs.com
Photo source: Jac Engels, www.findagrave.com - Debbie Rowe Clarkston