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name
LANE, Elwin Alroy - Date of
birth
22 August 1923 -
Age
21 - Place of
birth
Scituate, Plymouth County, Massachusetts -
Hometown
North Scituate, Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-886472 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Navigator -
Unit
360th Bombardment Squadron,
303rd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
26 September 1944 - Place of
death
Near Osnabruck, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| M | 9 | 6 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Eugene H. Lane (father)
Margaret E. Lane (mother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-6124 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Osnabruck, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the marshalling yard
MACR: 9403
More information
Elwin Lane attended the University of New Hampshire.He joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in Durham, New Hampshire on 21 November 1942.
The plane received direct flak hit between the #3 and #4 engines. Returning crewmen reported that it slid down under the formation, peeled off, went down in a glide, and blew up.
The co-pilot, 2nd Lt Lloyd E. Goff, later related that the B-17 caught fire immediately after being hit and blew up at 25,000 feet after he veered the B-17 to the right. He landed with holes in his parachute caused by ground fire at him while he was descending. He believed that 1st Lt Paul K. Bennett (Pilot), 2nd Lt Elwin A. Lane (Navigator) and S/Sgt Charles E. Jones (Ball Turret Gunner) were killed from shots from the ground while they were still descending in their parachutes.
Six crew members survived and were taken prisoner. Three men were killed. They were initially buried at the POW cemetery of Airbase Achmer on 28 September 1944.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.303rdbg.com, www.archives.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / 1940 Census
Photo source: Michel Beckers, www.303rdbg.com