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name
STEVENSON, Louis Charron - Date of
birth
27 August 1918 -
Age
25 - Place of
birth
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -
Hometown
Edgewood, New Rochelle County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-742219 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Co-Pilot -
Unit
558th Bombardment Squadron,
387th Bombardment Group, Medium
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
31 August 1943 - Place of
death
Airfield
Lille, France
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| C | 10 | 2 |
Immediate family
-
Members
John S. Stevenson (father)
Loretta C. Stevenson (mother)
John Stevenson (brother)
Isabella Stevenson (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
41-31653 -
Data
Type: B-26B
Nickname: King Bee
Destination: Lille, France
Mission: Bombing of the airport
MACR: 471
More information
John S. Stevenson graduated from A.B. Davis High School and attended Columbia University. He was employed at American Cyanamide and Chemical Corporation.He joined the National Guard on 3 February 1941 in Eastchester, New York. He served in the Coast Artillery for 14 months. He completed basic flight training in Chico, California.
Statement from T/Sgt Clinton C. Guy, a crew member of another B-26 in the same group:
"We were over target and bomb-bay doors were just opening. I was facing the rear of our ship, and looking through our front bomb-bay. The lost ship was at that time flying to the right of ours, suddenly, I saw it nose over and as it came into full view, I saw that the rear third of the ship was missing. The remaining section went into a tight spin for about 1500 feet. then went into a flat spin. I followed it visually until the ship was almost to the ground, and knowing the crash was inevitable, turned away."
One crew member survived. He was wounded, taken prisoner and evacuated to the Albert Calmette hospital in Lille. The other five crew members were killed and initially buried at the cemetery of the hospital.
Source of information: André Koch, Terry Hirsch, Raf Dyckmans, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.fold3.com - MACR 471, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / 1940 Census
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet, http://www.b26.com/historian/trevor_allen/king_bee.htm, Mount Vernon Argus - 30 March 1943