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Personal info

Full name
DAILY, Wendell L
Date of birth
27 October 1916
Age
27
Place of birth
Dysart, Tama County, Iowa
Hometown
Kankakee County, Illinois

Military service

Service number
O-740760
Rank
First Lieutenant
Function
Observer
Unit
566th Bombardment Squadron,
389th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Distinguished Flying Cross,
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster

Death

Status
Killed in Action
Date of death
7 January 1944
Place of death
Chartres, France

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
Plot Row Grave
B 8 20

Immediate family

Members
Robert H. Daily (father)
Maude E. Daily (mother)
William H. Daily (brother)
Robert H. Daily (brother)
Bessie M. Hiser (aunt)

Plane data

Serial number
42-41013
Data
Type: B-24D
Nickname: Trouble
Destination: Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany
MACR: 1853

More information

1st Lt Wendell L. Daily graduated from Kankakee high school in 1936. He was employed as a switchman on the Illinois Central railroad in Waterloo, Iowa before entering the service.

Went into a steep dive as the result of direct rocket hits in the nose from FW 190s. It pulled out to a shallow incline and three parachutes were seen emerging from the plane. The plane then went into a steep dive and the eyewitnesses believe they saw the crash through ground haze at Bolbec, France.

Lt Daily was executed by the Germans before touching the ground. He was buried at Saint-Cheron Chartres France.

Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Terry Hirsch, www.389thbg.net, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, http://iagenweb.org/wwii/WWIISurnamesC_D/DailyWendellL.html

Photo source: Arnaud Théron, http://iagenweb.org/wwii/WWIISurnamesC_D/DailyWendellL.html, The Courier - 23 January 1944