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Personal info

Full name
WILEY, Joseph Wade "Joe"
Date of birth
1920
Age
unknown
Place of birth
Hill County, Texas
Hometown
Itasca, Hill County, Texas

Military service

Service number
O-751065
Rank
Second Lieutenant
Function
Co-Pilot
Unit
527th Bombardment Squadron,
379th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal

Death

Status
Killed in Action
Date of death
30 January 1944
Place of death
Schoorl, the Netherlands

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
Plot Row Grave
J 9 19

Immediate family

Members
Troy O. Wiley Sr. (father)
Dora (Thompson) Wiley (mother)
Doris Wiley (sister)
Victor D. Wiley (brother)
Eileen Wiley (sister)
Troy O. Wiley Jr. (brother)
Kenneth E. Wiley (brother)
Billy D. Wiley (brother)

Plane data

Serial number
42-31643
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Brunswick, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the aviation industry plants
MACR: 2877

More information

2nd Lt Joseph W. Wiley joined the Air Corps of the Regular Army at March Field Riverside, California on 1 April 1941. He graduated from Itasca High School and was an actor before he joined the army.

The mission was to bomb the aviation industry plants of Brunswick. Due to cloud cover the city was bombed as a target of opportunity. On the way back to England, the bombers were attacked by German fighters who were sent up to intercept them. The plane crashed north of Bergen aan Zee, near Schoorl, on the Dutch coast near the Pirolavlakte.

The entire crew was killed in the crash. Their remains were initially buried at the community cemetery of Bergen aan Zee on 2 February 1944.

Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, André Koch, Terry Hirsch, Carla Mans, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.fold3.com - MACR 2877, http://8thafhs.com, www.ancestry.com - Wiley and Deubler Tree

Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet / SueMac, Hillsboro City Library - Men and Women in World War II from Hill County, Arie-Jan van Hees, Pilot Class Book 43-G, Gibbs Field, Ft. Stockton, Texas