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name
MARTIN, Bernard "Barney" - Date of
birth
30 September, 1922 -
Age
unknown - Place of
birth
Centralia, Boone County, Missouri -
Hometown
DeKalb County, Illinois
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
T-190769 -
Rank
Flight Officer -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
48th Fighter Squadron,
14th Fighter Group
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
8 July 1944 - Place of
death
Northwest of Parndorf, Austria
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 43 | 35 |
Immediate family
-
Members
General L. Martin (father)
Elsie F. Martin (mother)
Lloyd Martin (brother)
Clara Martin (sister)
Theodore Martin (brother)
Elmer Martin (brother)
Thelma Martin (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
43-28670 -
Data
Type: P-38J-15LO
Destination: Vienna, Austria
Mission: Fighter Sweep
MACR: 7148
More information
F/O Bernard Martin graduated from Dana High School in 1941.In 1941, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. He served with the RCAF until May 1943, when he transferred to the US Air Force. Upon retraining in the US, he was sent overseas in April 1944.
F/O Martin was flying element leader with the 48th Fighter Squadron on a fighter sweep in the Vienna area, on 8 July 1944. They were diving down to intercept two ME-109s at a lower level when they flew over an enemy airdrome. F/O Martin’s plane was hit by flak, and his left engine was set on fire. He bailed out, and when last seen, he dropped a considerable distance through space, and his parachute apparently failed to open, or possibly he was unable to pull his ripcord.
F/O Martin is remembered at River Hills Memorial Park in Batavia, Kane County, Illinois, with a memorial marker.
Source of information: Astrid van Erp, Terry Hirsch, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil / 1930 Census, www.fold3.com - MACR
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, www.findagrave.com