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Submit- Full
name
EMERSON, Donald Roswell - Date of
birth
17 May 1923 -
Age
21 - Place of
birth
Joliette, Pembina County, North Dakota -
Hometown
Pembina County, North Dakota
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-813134 -
Rank
Captain -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
336th Fighter Squadron,
4th Fighter Group
-
Awards
Distinguished Flying Cross with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters,
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Silver Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
25 December 1944 - Place of
death
Duustergats-Laherweg - Kolleberg
Sittard, The Netherlands
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 15 | 21 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Charles F. Emerson (father)
Mabel A. (Roswell) Emerson (mother)
James N. Emersn (brother)
Eleanor M. Emerson (sister)
John G. Emerson (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-15054 -
Data
Type: P-51D
Destination: Kessel, Germany
More information
Captain Donald R. Emerson enlisted at Fort Selling, Minnesota at June the 30th 1942.On Christmas Day, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, he was heading back to base after a mission when he encountered six enemy planes. He managed to shoot down two of them, but as he crossed enemy lines flying close to the ground, he was struck by flak from anti-aircraft guns. He was buried the next day in a temporary military cemetery near Margraten, The Netherlands, where his body is now permanently interred in the American Military Cemetery. Victories: Air 4,5 and Ground 2,5.
Source of information: FOHF, Fourth Fighter Group, National WWII Memorial, Footnote, www.ancestry.com - Family Trees
Photo source: FOHF, Fourth Fighter Group, the Eight Air Force Historical Society