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name
GERWIG, Gustave Otto - Date of
birth
23 August 1924 -
Age
20 - Place of
birth
Ridgewood, Queens County, New York -
Hometown
Kings County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
42043400 -
Rank
Private -
Function
unknown -
Unit
101st Signal Company,
101st Airborne Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
17 September 1944 - Place of
death
In the field at the crossing of the Bornemstraat and Het Hoogste
Mariekerke, Belgium
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 31 | 11 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Louis Gerwig (father)
Jessie Gerwig (mother)
Jessie Gerwig (sister)
Louis Gerwig (brother)
Anna Gerwig (sister)
More information
Pvt Gustave O. Gerwig was an electrician.He enlisted in New York City, New York on 22 May 1943.
Pvt Gerwig was a passenger in the CG-4A WACO glider #42-74356, with destination the landing zone in Son, the Netherlands.
During a turn, the cable between the Dakota tow plane and the Waco became loose. The shock caused the cargo to shift in the Waco, making the aircraft uncontrollable. The tail assembly came of before it hit trees on the edge of a field and smashed into the ground.
The crew consisted only of the pilot. He was killed, along with the six passengers. They were all initially buried at the cemetery of St. Amands.
One of the passengers was Cpl Frederick Sellers of the British Royal Corps of Signals. He is still buried at the cemetery of St. Amands. He and the pilot fell out of the plane before the crash. He still showed signs of life and was taken to the hospital of St. Amands where he died shortly afterwards.
All other casualties are now buried at Ardennes.
At the site of the crash a monument was erected.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.ww2-airborne.us, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - 1930 Census / U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: Jac Engels, Peter Schouteten, http://www.usmilitariaforum.com