Missing information?
Do you have any additional information you would like to share about a soldier?
Submit- Full
name
PARK, David William - Date of
birth
5 September 1916 -
Age
27 - Place of
birth
Brooklyn, Kings County, New York -
Hometown
The Bronx, Bronx County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-679276 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Bombardier -
Unit
365th Bombardment Squadron,
305th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
20 December 1943 - Place of
death
Near Bremen, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| D | 19 | 20 |
Immediate family
-
Members
David W. Park (father)
Hilda F. Park (mother)
Rose Mary Park (sister)
Ethel Park (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-37930 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Bremen, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the port area
MACR: 1708
More information
David Park attended college and was a shipping clerk.He enlisted at Camp Upton, New York on 27 January 1942.
The aircraft was hit by flak during the bomb-run. The propeller of #2 engine was knocked off and then the engine fell from the wing. The aircraft seemed to be under control and was not on fire. It peeled off and left the formation, losing altitude. No fighter attacks were made on it after it peeled off. It made a 180 degree turn and went out of sight.
Nine crew members survived and were taken prisoner. Only Lt Park was killed.
2nd Lt David W. Park bailed out a few miles south of Bremen. Germans found him dead on the ground. One of the waist gunners, Dwight Norman testified that he was fired upon by enemy fighters when he descended with his parachute. Therefore it is a possibilty Lt Park was killed in that way.
The airplane crashed in Dreeke, northeast of Diepholz, Germany.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Raf Dyckmans, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil / 1940 Census, www.fold3.com
Photo source: www.findagrave.com, Arie-Jan van Hees, Bomber Class Book 43-07 Big Spring Flying School, Texas