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name
BRACE, Richard John "Dick" - Date of
birth
15 September 1919 -
Age
24 -
Place of birth
Buffalo, Erie County, New York -
Hometown
Buffalo, Erie County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-703870 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Navigator -
Unit
850th Bombardment Squadron,
801st Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
5 July 1944 - Place of
death
Les Trois Mares, Oise
Lagny-le-Sec, France
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Epinal
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 14 | 15 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Mitchell G. Brace (father)
Maude E. (Booker) Brace (mother)
Mitchell J. Brace (brother)
Norma Brace (sister)
Lorraine T. Brace (wife)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-50386 -
Data
Type: B-24H
Nickname: Boots
Destination: France
Mission: Airdrop of weapons
MACR: 6991
More information
2nd Lt Richard J. Brace graduated Lafayette High School in 1937 and was employed as a production clerk for the E. L. DuPont de Nemours & Company.He enlisted in Buffalo, New York on 29 October 1942.
The aircraft was shot down by an Me-110 night fighter approximately 35 miles south of Paris on the morning of 5 July. It exploded and crashed at 0200hrs at a spot known locally as Les Trois Mares in Lagny-Le-Sec, France.
All eight crew members were killed.
He was first buried at the Temporary American Military Cemetery in Solers, France.
The database of ABMC and his grave marker lists Lt Brace as a member of the 490th Bombardment Group, Heavy. This is a mistake.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / Kurek Family Tree, www.fold3.com – MACR, www.findagrave.com – Russ Pickett, www.newspapers.com – Buffalo Courier Express - 8 May 1944
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Andy / Sarah Jane Gabig, Michel Beckers / The Carpetbagger Photographic Archives / Navigator Class Book 43-18, San Marcos, Texas - USAAF Class Book Project.