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Personal info

Full name
GURLEY, James Eugene
Date of birth
16 December 1924
Age
19
Place of birth
Talladega, Talladega County, Alabama
Hometown
Ensley, Jefferson County, Alabama

Military service

Service number
34810045
Rank
Sergeant
Function
Radio Operator
Unit
525th Bombardment Squadron,
379th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal

Death

Status
Finding of Death
Date of death
24 August 1944
Place of death
Marrum, the Netherlands

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
Walls of the Missing

Immediate family

Members
James A. Gurley (father)
Loela L. (Lackey) Gurley (mother)
John W. Gurley (brother)
Paul L. Gurley (brother)
Rose V. Gurley (sister)
Ruby M. Gurley (sister)
Robert L. Gurley (brother)
Edward T. Gurley (brother)
Clara B. Gurley (sister)
Bessie E. Gurley (sister)

Plane data

Serial number
43-37903
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: Toodles Boy
Destination: Merseberg, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the Leuna oil refinery
MACR: 8285

More information

James Gurley attended high school for four years and was an usher.

He enlisted at Fort McClellan, Alabama on 22 June 1943.

The airplane was hit by flak over the target but continued the return flight with the formation until reaching coordinates 53°20'N-05°50'E at 1336 hours. At this point the plane went down under control and appeared to be leaking gasoline. Dutch civilians saw it crash and no parachutes were observed. They also stated that the plane could not be approached because of intense fire, explosions of ammunition and the presence of Germans.

The entire crew of nine men was killed, from which eight men are remembered at the Walls of the Missing at Margraten. Only the remains of the bombardier, Edward R. Bromage, were recovered after it washed ashore near Eenrum.

The crash occured on very marshy ground off the bank of a canal and due to the speed of the aircraft, it buried itself deeply in the ground. In August 1950, an American Graves Registration search team, although hampered in excavating the location by onrushing water from the canal, dug to a dept of about twenty-two feet wiithout locating any remains.

Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Raf Dyckmans, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.ancestry.com - Family Trees

Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Herman Wolters