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Personal info

Full name
WESTLUND, Clarence Rodney
Date of birth
23 July 1923
Age
20
Place of birth
Braham, Isanti County, Minnesota
Hometown
Carlton County, Minnesota

Military service

Service number
17036038
Rank
Sergeant
Function
Ball Turret Gunner
Unit
333rd Bombardment Squadron,
94th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal

Death

Status
Finding of Death
Date of death
9 April 1944
Place of death
Baltic Sea, 1 km off the beach of Elmenhorst, Germany

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
Walls of the Missing

Immediate family

Members
Christine Westlund (grandmother)

Plane data

Serial number
42-97080
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Warnemunde, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the Arado/Heinkel aviation industry
MACR: 3800

More information

Sgt Clarence R. Westlund attended Cloquet High School.

He volunteered for the Air Corps at Fort Snelling, Minnesota on 15 December 1941.

This aircraft was seen to circle down immediately after bombs away and crashed into the sea near the target and exploded. Time of this observation and happening was at 1225 hours. Various crews reported seeing two, three, six and ten chutes leave the aircraft.

The 10 men of the crew tried to parachute. Seven of them drowned, three men were brought ashore by a revenue cutter and handed over to the Naval Airbase HQ. of Warnemunde.

Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.fold3.com - MACR

Photo source: www.findagrave.com, Cloquet High School Yearboook 1940, Joek Hulsmann / Tony Glavan