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Personal info

Full name
KROPP, John M "Red"
Date of birth
8 July 1924
Age
20
Place of birth
Minnesota
Hometown
Racine, Racine County, Wisconsin

Military service

Service number
36819181
Rank
Sergeant
Function
Waist Gunner
Unit
712th Bombardment Squadron,
448th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster

Death

Status
Killed in Action
Date of death
25 March 1945
Place of death
Schneverdingen, Germany

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
Plot Row Grave
D 6 49

Immediate family

Members
John J. Kropp (father)
Lena (Steiner) Kropp (mother)
Louis P. Kropp (brother)
Edward M. Kropp (brother)
David Kropp (brother)
Lois M. (Neibur) Kropp (wife)
Betty A. Kropp (daughter)

Plane data

Serial number
42-50646
Data
Type B-24
Destination: Buchen, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the oil depot
MACR: 13548

More information

Sgt Kropp graduated from Washington Park High School and was employed by the Jensen Machine Shop.

The airplane was attacked by ME-262's. It went in a tight spin before the wing tanks exploded and tored the wings off. The fuselage crashed on a shoe factory in Schneverdingen, Germany.

Three crew members survived and were taken prisoner. Nine men were killed. they were initially buried at the cemetery of Schneverdingen.

On the first photo Sgt Kropp in the middle next to his parents, his brother Eddie on the left and his brother David on the right.

Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / Family Tree, www.newspaperarchive.com - The Racine Journal Times

Photo source: Jac Engels, Linda Mahler-Kropp, www.newspaperarchive.com - The Racine Journal Times