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name
WIETHOP, Richard George - Date of
birth
23 January 1917 -
Age
27 - Place of
birth
St. Louis, Missouri -
Hometown
St. Louis, Missouri
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
37405563 -
Rank
Sergeant -
Function
Waist Gunner -
Unit
546th Bombardment Squadron,
348th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
12 September 1944 - Place of
death
Grünfelde, west of Kyritz, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 35 | 4 |
Immediate family
-
Members
William R. Wiethop (father)
Ella M. (Neudeck) Wiethop (mother)
Bernice Wiethop (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-97142 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: Thor, God of Thunder
Destination: Brux, Czechoslovakia
Mission: Bombing of the synthetic oil refinery
MACR: 8901
More information
Sgt Richard G. Wiethop employed as a trucker at the American Stove Company.He enlisted on 21 December 1942 at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. He had been overseas since June 1944.
The airplane was hit by German figthers at 11:05 in the #3 engine near Wittenburg, Germany. The airplane could not climb back in formation and continuously drifted behind until it was lost out of sight. The right wing fell off at 11:09 and the airplane went down on fire in a steep glide.
Three crew members were taken prisoner, six men were killed.
Sgt Withop was initially buried at the cemetery of Kyritz, Germany on 13 September 1944.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.newspapers.com - The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, www.ancestry.com - Family Tree, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: Mireille Goedhart, www.newspapers.com - The St. Louis Post-Dispatch