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name
GUSTAFSON, Gordon - Date of
birth
22 July 1918 -
Age
26 - Place of
birth
Lewistown, Fergus County, Montana -
Hometown
Woodenville, King County, Washington
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-767531 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
365th Bombardment Squadron,
305th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
14 October 1944 - Place of
death
Freight yard of Niehl, north of Cologne, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| D | 2 | 6 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Oscar O. Gustafson (father)
Hulda Gustafson (mother)
Harry Gustafson (brother)
Donald Gustafson (brother)
Leona Gustafson (sister)
Dorothy Gustafson (sister)
Betty Gustafson (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
43-38108 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Cologne, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the marshalling yard
MACR: 9475
More information
2nd Lt Gordon Gustafson attended high school for four years and was a carpenter.He joined the Regular Army in Seattle, Washington on 3 September 1942.
The aircraft collided with aircraft 43-38066 in midair. Its propellers chewed through the other airplane. It went down out of controle and broke into small pieces and exploded below the formation.
The entire crew of nine men was killed. They were initially buried at the West Cemetery of Cologne on 15 October 1944.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Raf Dyckmans, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov – WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil / 1940 Census, www.fold3.com
Photo source: Jac Engels, Seattle Daily Times - 13 February 1944