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Submit- Full
name
STAFFORD, Frank W - Date of
birth
25 April 1920 -
Age
24 - Place of
birth
Great Falls, Cascade County, Montana -
Hometown
Cascade County, Montana
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-717910 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Bombardier -
Unit
359th Bombardment Squadron,
303rd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
12 September 1944 - Place of
death
Bergsdorf, north of Berlin, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| C | 2 | 45 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Walter M. Stafford (father)
Josephine C. (Slanger) Stafford (mother)
Ralph J. Stafford (brother)
George H. Stafford (brother)
Barbara L. (Perry) Stafford (wife)
Leslie Stafford (son)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-31177 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: Lonesome Polecat
Destination: Brux, Czechoslovakia
Mission: Bombing of the Sudetenlandische Treibstoffwerke A.G. - hydrogenation plant
MACR: 8823
More information
Frank W. Stafford attended the University of Wisconsin where he was a middle distance runner.He joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in Butte, Montana on 17 July 1942. He was commissioned in April 1944, in Big Springs, Texas and was sent overseas in August 1944.
He was on his fourth mission over enemy territory.
The formation was hit by seven fighter attacks between 1100 to 1130 hours. They made a hole in the front part of the wing close to #3 engine. Strips were flying off the wing. Another attack force the aircraft out of the formation and it slid off to the left and dropped down. The horizontal stabilizer was also hit and strips of metal were coming off. Then the wing caught fire. The aircraft appeared to be partially under control when last seen. It went down in a glide.
Four crew members were killed, five survived and were taken prisoner.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.newspapers.com - The Great Falls Tribune, www.ancestry.com - Family Trees
Photo source: Michel Beckers, www.newspapers.com - The Great Falls Tribune, www.ancestry.com - Great Falls High School yearbook 1937