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name
MARSH, William Henry Jr - Date of
birth
1915 -
Age
unknown - Place of
birth
Waterbury, New Haven County, Connecticut -
Hometown
Passaic County, New Jersey
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-688644 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
Navigator -
Unit
322nd Bombardment Squadron,
91st Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Distinguished Flying Cross,
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
2 November 1944 - Place of
death
1.5 km north of Neugattersleben, near Bernburg, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| N | 15 | 11 |
Immediate family
-
Members
William H. Marsh Sr. (father)
Anna (Munson) Marsch (mother)
Lilli Marsch (wife)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-6298 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: White Cargo
Destination: Merseburg, Germany
Mission: Bombardment
MACR: 10142
More information
1st Lt William H. Marsch Jr. graduated from Eastside High School and was employed by the Walter Kide Company in Belleville.He joined the Army Air Corps on 21 November 1942 and graduated from navigator school in Hondo and San Marcos, Texas. He was commissioned on 5 August 1943 and sent overseas in December of the same year.
Statement from 1st Lt William H. Trent,
O-817789, 322nd Bomb Sq.:
"Just before the turn off into the target an ME-109 made a pass at aircraft B-17G, 44-6298, from 3 o'clock high. I do not know whether the aircraft was hit by enemy fighters or flak, but it lagged behind the formation and I lost sight of it. When last observed te aircraft was under control."
Four crew members, including 1st Lt William H. Marsh Jr. bailed out. Surviving crew member reports indicate that 1st Lt Marsh was hit by a 20 mm and seriously wounded and that he was bailed out by one of the other 3 men that left the ship. It is assumed that his injury was fatal.
Source of information: Luc van der Sterren, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.ancestry.com - U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil / 1920/1940 census, www.newspapers.com - The News 12 August 1943 / 16 August 1943 / 28 November 1944
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet, www.newspapers.com - The News 12 August 1943 / 16 August 1943