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name
SIMMONS, Harry Gordon Jr - Date of
birth
26 July 1921 -
Age
22 - Place of
birth
Spring Creek, Louisa County, Virginia -
Hometown
Homer City, Indiana County, Pennsylvania
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
33251053 -
Rank
Technical Sergeant -
Function
Top Turret Gunner -
Unit
612th Bombardment Squadron,
401st Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
19 May 1944 - Place of
death
Professor Peter Platz
Kiel, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 14 | 11 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Harry G. Simmons Sr. (father)
Millie M. (Deter) Simmons (mother)
Boyd G. Simmons (brother)
Benny Simmons (brother)
Thelma E. Simmons (sister)
Helen Simmons (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-38026 -
Data
Nickname: My Day
Type: B-17G
Destination: Berlin, Germany
MACR: 4815
More information
T/Sgt Harry G. Simmons, Jr. graduated from Grove City High School and worked in a chemical plant.He enlisted in Altoona, Pennsylvania on 24 August 1942 and was sent overseas in October 1943.
The 401st furnished the lead and high box of the 94th Combat Wing. The original target was Berlin, but either heavy cloud cover or failure to rendezvous with fighter escort (the accounts differ) resulted in bombing the secondary target, the port area of Kiel. Bombing was done by PFF (radar), but through breaks in the clouds bomb bursts were observed in the industrial section along the Kiel Canal. No enemy aircraft were sighted. Flak, while meager, was unusually accurate. The plane was hit and exploded in midair, killing 9 crew members. 1 crew member was taken prisoner.
The remains of the killed crew members were buried at the Garrison Military Cemetery of Kiel on 25 May 1944.
At the time of his death, his brother Benny served with a tank battalion and Boyd was in the U.S. Navy, both in Europe.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, WWIIMemorial.com, NARA, Footnote.com, Missing Air Crew Report, 401bg.org, www.fold3.com - WWII Draft Card, www.newspapers.com - The Indiana Gazette - 8 June 1944, www.ancestry.com - 1940 Census
Photo source: Mireille Goedhart, www.remember-our-heroes.nl - Andy Swinnen, www.newspapers.com - The Indiana Gazette - 8 June 1944