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name
BUSH, Frank Boyd - Date of
birth
17 October 1920 -
Age
22 - Place of
birth
Hennepin County, Minnesota -
Hometown
Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-735264 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Navigator -
Unit
350th Bombardment Squadron,
100th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
8 October 1943 - Place of
death
On the road to Ottersberg, east of Bremen, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| I | 10 | 5 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Rush B. Bush (father)
Bertha M. (McCormick) Bush (mother)
Vivian J. Bush (sister)
Corinne E. Bush (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-30358 -
Data
Type: B-17F
Nickname: Phartzac
Destination: Bremen, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the industrial area
MACR: 947
More information
2nd Lt Frank B. Bush graduated from Roosevelt High School and worked as a clerk before he volunteered for the Air Corps of the U.S. Army in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 23 January 1942. He trained as a bombardier but later studied navigation and was sent to England on 1 August 1943.According to the MACR and statements of surviving crew members, the plane was hit by a direct flak burst which blew one waist gunner out of the ship. 2nd Lt Hubbard, the bombardier who survived, later stated that he believed both Meadows and Evans were killed by the flak burst and that Bush said: "I'm getting the hell out of this plane" and bailed out of the nose hatch. Hubbard further states that he thought Bush's parachute caught fire and burned in mid-air.
Other reports state that flak hit bombs in the bomb bay or who were already dropped and the explosions caused severe damage.
Eight crew members were killed, two were taken prisoner. The killed crew members were initially buried at Waller Friedhof, near Bremen.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.archves.gov, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.8thafhs.com, www.ancestry.com - Family Tree, www.newspapers.com - Star Tribune / The Minneapolis Star
Photo source: Michel Beckers, 100thBombGroup, www.newspapers.com - The Minneapolis Star