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name
MC GOWAN, Frank Bernard - Date of
birth
30 October 1918 -
Age
25 - Place of
birth
Coal Valley, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania -
Hometown
Clairton, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-768823 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Navigator -
Unit
328th Bombardment Squadron,
93rd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
12 October 1944 - Place of
death
Wellmannsbruch, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| L | 1 | 21 |
Immediate family
-
Members
James F. Mc Gowan (father)
Anna L. (Gilmore) Mc Gowan (mother)
James T. Mc Gowan (brother)
Mary E. Mc Gowan (sister)
Mary B. (Kaspary) Mc Gowan (wife)
James B. Mc Gowan (son)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-50606 -
Data
Type: B-24J
Destination: Osnabruck, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the marshalling yard
MACR: 9470
More information
Frank B. Mc Gowan graduated from Cailfornia State Teachers College and was a teacher at Lebanon Junior High School.He joined the U.S. Army Reserve in San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center, Texas on 4 December 1942.
The airplane suffered a direct hit on the number three engine while over the target area. The explosion tore a section of the engine apart and broke the propeller in several pieces. Some section of the broken propeller struck the right side of the fusilage at the radio operator's position and tore a hole in it about four and one-half feet long and one foot wide. Within a few seconds after the explosion the airplane dropped out of formation and headed downward.
Two crew members survived and were taken prisoner. Eight men were killed. They were initially buried at the POW cemetery of Achmer airbase.
Source of information: André Koch, Jac Engels, Raf Dyckmans, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.fold3.com - MACR 9470, www.ancestry.com - Hess Family Tree / Veteran Compensation Application File, www.newspapers.com - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)