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name
KERR, John William - Date of
birth
1919 -
Age
unknown - Place of
birth
Dunfermline, Scotland -
Hometown
Wayne County, Michigan
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-746126 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
383rd Fighter Squadron,
364th Fighter Group
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Missing in Action - Date of
death
19 May 1944 - Place of
death
North Sea, 5 miles north of Juist Island, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten - Walls of the Missing
Immediate family
-
Members
Robert Kerr (father)
Annie Kerr (mother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-68013 -
Data
Type: P-38J
Destination: Berlin, Germany
Mission: Bomber escort
MACR: 5006
More information
Statement of 1st Lt Clarence F. Scrivner, who flew in the same mission: "I was escorting Lt Kerr home, he being on single engine, when he called and said that he had to bail out. I kept my altitude and started calling Mayday but keeping Lt Kerr in sight. I saw his chute open as he leaped clear of the plane. I kept calling Mayday and could not reach anyone, so I switched to "D" channel and called Pickaxe but could not contact them. I then went down to the deck and saw Lt Kerr in his dinghy. He waved and seamed to be alright. I then climbed back up and continued my Mayday call till I was low on gas and had to go home. Going home, I counted the Islands and located the Island of Juist as the one he, Lt Kerr, bailed out near."
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, wwiimemorial, NARA, www.ancestry.com - Passenger List, www.fold3.com
Photo source: FOHF