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name
WHITMAN, Nathaniel - Date of
birth
29 October 1916 -
Age
27 - Place of
birth
New York City, New York -
Hometown
Great Neck, Nassau County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-455162 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
328th Bombardment Squadron,
93rd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
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 |
|---|---|---|
| I | 7 | 15 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Mortimer Whitman (father)
Theresa Whitman (mother)
Ethel B. Whitman (sister)
Jane Whitman (sister)
Maureen E. Whitman (wife)
Mary J. Whitman (daughter)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-50606 -
Data
Type: B-24J
Destination: Osnabruck, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the marshalling yard
MACR: 9470
More information
Nathaniel Whitman graduated from Great Neck High School and attended Lehigh University. He was employed by Eastern Air Lines.He enlisted in Jamaica, New York on 3 March 1943.
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, Raf Dyckmans, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.ancestry.com - 1930 Census / U.S. School Yearbooks - Lehigh University 1936, www.newspapers.com - The Brooklyn Eagle
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet, www.ancestry.com - Lehigh University Yearbook 1936 and 1939