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Personal info

Full name
STAUTER, Herman Lavern "Cotton"
Date of birth
15 October 1916
Age
27
Place of birth
Moss Point, Jackson County, Mississippi
Hometown
Jackson County, Mississippi

Military service

Service number
34612488
Rank
Staff Sergeant
Function
Right Waist Gunner
Unit
358th Bombardment Squadron,
303rd Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster

Death

Status
Killed in Action
Date of death
24 February 1944
Place of death
500 meters to the right of the road to Langsdorf
Hungen, Germany

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
Plot Row Grave
A 16 2

Immediate family

Members
Louie L. Stauter (father)
Emma S. (Perkins) Stauter (mother)
Louis A. Stauter (brother)
Claude L. Stauter (brother)
Paul T. Stauter (brother)
Veda V. Stauter (sister)

Plane data

Serial number
42-31239
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Schweinfurt, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the Vereinigte Kugellagerfabriken (VKF) - ball bearing industry
MACR: 2763

Biography

http://www.303rdbg.com/358smith-ml.html

More information

S/Sgt Herman L. Stauter worked at employed at Southern Kraft Corporation.

He enlisted at Camp Shelby, Mississippi on 28 December 1942.

The airplane was reported being attacked by an ME-109 which dove out of the sun. Another report attributed the loss to a rocket hit on the nose. It blew up in mid-air.

Two crew members survived and were taken prisoner, eight were killed.

His family called hom Cotton because of his white hair.

Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.basher82.nl, www.fold3.com - MACR, WWII Draft Card

Photo source: Gary Moncur, www.303rdBG.com