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name
SPRINGFIELD, Berkeley Irving - Date of
birth
22 June 1913 -
Age
30 - Place of
birth
New Jersey -
Hometown
Hudson County, New Jersey
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-388890 -
Rank
Major -
Function
Observer -
Unit
549th Bombardment Squadron,
385th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Finding of Death - Date of
death
26 July 1943 - Place of
death
North Sea, off the East Frisian Islands, 35 miles off the nearest land, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten - Walls of the Missing
Immediate family
-
Members
Arthur Springfield (father)
Theresa H. (Knoell) Springfield (mother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-5895 -
Data
Type: B-17F
Nickname: Souse Family
Destination: Hannover, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the city
MACR: 191B
More information
Maj Springfield was preceded in death by both parents. He lived with his aunt and her husband, William and Louise C. (Knoell) Bonnot, in Jersey City, He attended the University of Alabama in 1935.The airplane was shot down by enemy aircraft and crashed in the Baltic Sea. Six crew members were taken prisoner, and five were killed. The plane blew up before hitting the water. It had been on fire and seemed to be trying to ditch. No parachutes were reported from this plane.
Source of information: André Koch, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov – WWII Enlistment Record,
www.fold3.com - MACR, http://www.8thafhs.com, www.ancestry.com - U.S. School Yearbooks, University of Alabama 1935
Photo source: André Koch, www.ancestry.com - U.S. School Yearbooks, University of Alabama 1935, Gerben Stormbroek