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name
TARKINGTON, Taylor Lewis - Date of
birth
21 July 1922 -
Age
22 - Place of
birth
Kerens, Navarro County, Texas -
Hometown
Temple, Cotton County, Oklahoma
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
18177172 -
Rank
Sergeant -
Function
Tail Gunner -
Unit
714th Bombardment Squadron,
448th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
4 April 1945 - Place of
death
In the vicinity of Ludwigslust, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 26 | 21 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Lewis T. Tarkington (father)
Willie (Grinslade) Tarkington (mother)
Frances E. (Bye) Tarkington (wife)
Gary W. Tarkington (son)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-95620 -
Data
Type: B-24J
Nickname: Miss-B-Haven
Destination: Wesendorf, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the airfield
MACR: 13732
More information
Sgt Taylor L. Takington was a chauffeur before he joined the US Army Reserve in Dallas, Texas, on 8 October 1942.The aircraft was hit by fighters.
Surviving crew members were told by a German interrogator that Sgt Tarkington did not jump and therefore was killed when the airplane hit the ground. They claimed to have found his body in the waist of the aircraft and also showed his dog tags. However, several crew members saw Sgt. Tarkington standing by the hatch with his parachute on, waiting for his turn to bail out. That was the last they saw of him. It gave the crew members reason to doubt the German story, for Tarkington had jumped once before and had no fear of bailing out.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com – Headstone and Interment Record / Texas Birth Certificate / US Obituary Collection, www.fold3.com – MACR, www.b24bestweb.com
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Arie-Jan van Hees, Pilot Class Book 44-B, Victory Field, Vernon, Texas