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name
STEPTOE, Thomas Este Jr - Date of
birth
12 January 1919 -
Age
24 - Place of
birth
New York, New York County, New York -
Hometown
Washington, District Of Columbia
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
33133951 -
Rank
Technical Sergeant -
Function
Radio Operator -
Unit
67th Bombardment Squadron,
44th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
14 May 1943 - Place of
death
Near Embühren, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 20 | 1 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Thomas E. Steptoe Sr. (father)
Frances M. (Hunter) Steptoe (mother)
Mary A. Gardner (fiancé)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-40126 -
Data
Type: B-24D
Nickname: Annie Oakley “Crack Shot”
Destination: Kiel, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the submarine yards and naval installations
MACR: 2441
More information
T/Sgt Thomas E. Steptoe Jr. graduated from Bellows High School. He was a stenographer and typist with the Food And Drug Administration.He enlisted at Camp Lee, Virginia on 26 February 1942.
The aircraft was shot down by a German fighter near Embühren. Two crew members bailed out. 1st Lt. Louis L. Kissinger was captured. 1st Lt. Wyatt S. Kennon’s parachute landed in Feldmark Gross-Vollstedt and he was later shot while trying to escape. The Pilot, 1st Lt Roach died of his wounds in a hospital at Rendsburg, Germany.
Six completely charred bodies were recovered at the crash site of the downed American aircraft on 17 May 1943. They were initially buried at the cemetery of Neumünster South on 18 May 1943.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - 1930 Census / U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, www.fold3.com - MACR, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: Jac Engels