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name
JOHNSTON, Charles R - Date of
birth
29 May 1916 -
Age
27 - Place of
birth
Glendive, Dawson County, Montana -
Hometown
La Junta, Otero County, Colorado
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-802402 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
549th Bombardment Squadron,
385th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Distinguished Flying Cross,
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Died of Wounds - Date of
death
29 April 1944 - Place of
death
Brunswick, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 38 | 12 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Camma L. Johnston (mother)
Francis L. Johnston (wife)
Charles R. Johnston, Jr. (son)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-31773 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Berlin, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the railway facilities at Friedrichstrasse
MACR: 4454
More information
1st Lt Charles R. Johnston graduated from Amarillo High School with the class of 1934. He started working at North American Aviation the day after Christmas 1940, where he was involved in designing and fabricating the landing gear hydraulics for the XP-51 Mustang.On 29 July 1942 he resigned to accept an appointment as an aviation cadet. He went through flight training at Columbus Army Flying School, class 43-D and graduated on 29 April 1943. He went through advanced flight training in Florida and then on to an assignment with his crew training at Dalhart, Texas, in the B-17. He left for England on 9 December 1943, arriving on 13 December 1943.
He flew 29 missions over Germany.
The group received violent attacks from enemy aircraft. This B-17 had a damaged left wing and tail section. It left the formation, rolling completely over, ultimately going into a dive.
According to surviving crew members, all ten men bailed out and Lt Johnson was shot by civilians. One crew member saw him in an unconscious state on a stretcher in a hospital in Brunswick.
The airplane crashed at the Volkswagen-Werke vehicle production plant in Wolfsburg, Germany.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.abmc.gov, www.ancestry.com - U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, www.fold3.com, http://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/29161, www.archives.gov - Records of World War II Prisoners of War
Photo source: Jac Engels, Charles R. Johnston Jr. (son)