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name
TRAPPE, William Henry Anthony - Date of
birth
7 January 1923 -
Age
21 - Place of
birth
Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania -
Hometown
Washington, District of Columbia
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
33552475 -
Rank
Sergeant -
Function
Tail Gunner -
Unit
579th Bombardment Squadron,
392nd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
19 May 1944 - Place of
death
Near Hessen, 21 miles northwest of Wernigerode, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 34 | 40 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Milton H. Trappe (father)
Margerite C. Trappe (mother)
Francis E. Trappe (Uncle)
Plane data
- Serial
number
41-29474 -
Data
Type: B-24H
Destination: Brunswick, Germany
MACR: 4936
More information
Sgt William H. A. Trappe was an apprentice carpenter. He enlisted on 23 January 1943 in Baltimore, Maryland.A returning eye-witness account stated that this aircraft had come under attack by single enemy fighters, tad on and that 6 parachutes were seen immediately thereafter. No other details were given in this MACR concerning friendly force accounts about this aircrew. A German report #KU1834 did shed some light on the crew's fate following the fighters attacks: that this plane was shot down by a fighter near Hessen, 21 miles northwest of Wernigerode and that it had exploded in mid-air.
Sgt William H. A. Trappe first buried at Temporary American Military Cemetery Ardennes, Belgium Block C, Row 3, Grave 57.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Terry Hirsch, www.B24.net, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: Mireille Goedhart, Michel Beckers/Tom Perry 392nd Bomb Group, www.findagrave.com - John Dowdy / b24.net