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name
DAY, Walter Nelson - Date of
birth
10 March 1921 -
Age
22 -
Place of birth
Peru, Clinton County, New York -
Hometown
Albany County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
32447507 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Tail Gunner -
Unit
577th Bombardment Squadron,
392nd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
4 January 1944 - Place of
death
North Sea, off the coast of Langeness, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 8 | 3 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Nelson Day (father)
Elizabeth (Ayers) Day (mother)
Edmund Day (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-7482 -
Data
Type: B-24H
Nickname: Shack Rat
Destination: Kiel, Germany
MACR: 01908
More information
S/Sgt Walter N. Day enlisted in Albany, New York on 7 August 1942.No specific 392nd crew eye-witness account is detailed concerning the loss of this aircrew and plane. A German Report, #KU623 of the mission date, 4 January, notes that this particular ship was found crashed in the North Sea at 1300 hours just off the small island of Langeness after having exploded in the air. Five dead crew members were located in this wreckage and the probable cause of the shoot-down was fighter aircraft. No other account exists on further circumstances of the crew’s loss.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Terry Hirsch, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: Mireille Goedhart, via Ton Hermes