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name
ALLEN, Harry Joseph - Date of
birth
22 August 1918 -
Age
26 - Place of
birth
Missoula, Missoula County, Montana -
Hometown
Missoula, Missoula County, Montana
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
39621301 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Left Waist Gunner -
Unit
714th Bombardment Squadron,
448th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
4 April 1945 - Place of
death
Ludwigslust, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten - Walls of the Missing
Immediate family
-
Members
Joseph H. Allen (father)
Hildagarde (Violette) Allen (mother)
William E. Allen (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-50838 -
Data
Type B-24M
Destination: Wesendorf, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the airfield
MACR: 13730
More information
Harry J. Allen graduated from high school in Livingston.He was sent overseas in August 1944. At the time of his last mission, he had written his father that he was due to return home at a very early date.
His brother, William Allen, received the news that his brother was reported missing and had gone to the base, 200 miles distant, where he was stationed, and had talked to members of his squadron, who were on the same raid from which Sgt Allen and the crew of their Liberator failed to return. These flyers told him that they had seen the plane shot in two by a 37 mm shell from a jet-propelled plane and that they had not seen any of the crew bailing out or parachuting to earth. The sky was overcast, they told the gunner's brother, who did not state in his letter home whether the raid was a daytime or an after-dark mission.
The aircraft was attacked by Messerschmitt 262s and broke in two.
Nine crew members were killed, and their remains were never found, except for 1st Lt Robert L. Mains and Sgt Charles H. Daman, for whom the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced on 12 and 15 September 2017 that their remains were accounted for.
One crew member was taken prisoner.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Astrid van Erp, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - The Independent Record 6 May 1945 / Family Tree / Birth Record, www.newspapers.com - The Missoulian
Photo source: Nico Leers, www.newspapers.com - The Missoulian