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name
KOVACH, Elmer L - Date of
birth
8 April 1921 -
Age
23 - Place of
birth
Pocahontas, Bond County, Illinois -
Hometown
Pocahontas, Bond County, Illinois
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
37405660 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Bombardier -
Unit
351st Bombardment Squadron,
100th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
31 December 1944 - Place of
death
Hamburg-Finkenwerder, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| E | 13 | 24 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Louis J. Kovach (father)
Lena (Toth) Kovach (mother)
Edward Kovach (brother)
Eugene Kovach (brother)
Louis Kovach (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-31066 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: Dixie Baby aka Fools Rush In
Destination: Hamburg, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the Rheunania Ossag oil refinery
MACR: 11366
More information
S/Sgt Elmer L. Kovach was a chauffeur.He enlisted at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri on 21 December 1942.
The aircraft received a direct hit by flak just before bombs away. The bombs were salvoed and the aircraft fell off on the right wing and dropped on to A/C 43-38124. Both went down in flames and one exploded.
Three crew members were taken prisoner, six were killed.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Olga Bartholomeus, Terry Hirsch, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.ancestry.com - U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil
Photo source: www.findagrave.com, Olga Bartholomeus (personal photo), https://100thbg.com