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Submit- Full
name
MOONEY, Marion Monroe - Date of
birth
16 January 1914 -
Age
30 - Place of
birth
Haymarket, Prince William County, Virginia -
Hometown
Arlington County, Virginia
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
33843134 -
Rank
Sergeant -
Function
Tail Gunner -
Unit
360th Bombardment Squadron,
303rd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
10 January 1945 - Place of
death
Bonn, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| D | 24 | 20 |
Immediate family
-
Members
James H. Mooney II (father)
Arabella (Dawson) Mooney (mother)
Nellie J. Mooney (sister)
David J. Mooney (brother)
Rosalea I. (Sprouse) Mooney (wife)
Marian J. Mooney (daughter)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-97861 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: Iza Vailable III
Destination: Bonn, Gemany
Mission: Bombing of Hangelar airfield
MACR: 11575
More information
Marion Mooney was a salesman.He enlisted at fort George G. Meade, Maryland on 4 March 1944.
The airplane was at 26,700 feet when its nose suddenly went up. The pilot, Lt. Statton and co-pilot, Lt. David A. Schroll, jointly exerted control pressure to bring the nose down. They believed that they had been hit by flak. The autopilot was used to control the aircraft which had dropped to 25,000 feet. The waist gunner reported that the tail gun position had been knocked off and that Tail Gunner, Sgt. Marion M. Mooney, was missing. He was wearing his parachute at the time. The accident and poor weather conditions forced Lt. Statton to drop behind the formation and make an emergency landing at airfield B-53 at Merville, France. An examination of the tail indicated that it had been hit by another aircraft, being B-17 # 42-39875, that made a wheels up landing ar Field A-97 in Sandweiler, Luxembourg.
Lts. Statton and Schroll were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for their skill in controlling and landing their damaged B-17.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, 303rdBomberGroup.com, www.fold3.com - MACR
Photo source: www.findagrave.com, www.303rdbg.com