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name
FOLLENDER, Seymour Bernard - Date of
birth
20 February 1921 -
Age
23 - Place of
birth
Manhattan, New York City, New York -
Hometown
Queens, Queens County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-667684 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
759th Bombardment Squadron,
459th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
2 April 1944 - Place of
death
In the vicinity of Windischgarsten, 80 kilometers South West of Steyr, Austria.
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| O | 4 | 8 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Herman G. Follender (father)
Anna Follender (mother)
Jerome Follender (brother)
Natalie M. Follender (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-64374 -
Data
Type: B-24J
Nickname: Dead Man's Hand
Destination: Steyr, Austria
Mission: Bombing, Ball Bearing factory
MACR: 3889
More information
1st Lt Seymour Follender enlisted on 19 March 1942 at Mitchell Field Hemstead, Long Island, New York.The plane of 1st Lt Follender and his crewmembers crashed on 2 April 1944 near Windischgarsten, 80 kilometers South West of Steyr, Austria, and 3 other crewmembers, including 1st Lt Follender, were killed in Action.
Statement: Joseph J. Degnan, T/Sgt, Air Corps, Tail Gunner.
I certify that I personally observed Lt Follender's plane as the plane that went down on the Steyr mission. Lt Follender was directly behind my tail. Two ME 109 had just got finished straffing our plane and went directly over his plane. The plane went into a flat spin. After dropping approximately 5000 feet, it looked as if he might pull out. He went back into the spin and stayed that way until he hit the ground. The plane did not catch fire.
First Lieutenant Seymour Follender died in the pilot seat. He was hit in the head by 20mm shells and died instantly. This was visual witnessed by the Co-Pilot Flight Officer Alfred Shepard and the Bombardier Flight Officer Angelo F. Malerba.
A crewmember of 1st Lt Follender who was wounded and survived and became a POW, S/Sgt Gerald A. Duval wrote a book about his experiences including the crash named: "Wings and Barbed Wire".
Source of information: Cor van den Burg, Astrid van Erp, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - WWII Jewish Servicemen Cards, 1920/1930/1940 Census, www.fold3.com - MACR, Individual Casualty Questionnaire, www.Amazon.com
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet, Andrea Goldwyn Fox (niece), www.newspapers.com - The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Arie-Jan van Hees - PIlot 42-K Waco Texas