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name
PATE, Dexter Booker - Date of
birth
15 June 1923 -
Age
20 - Place of
birth
Boonesville, Prentiss County, Mississippi -
Hometown
Prentiss County, Mississippi
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
14151245 -
Rank
Sergeant -
Function
Left Waist Gunner -
Unit
350th Bombardment Squadron,
100th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
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 |
|---|---|---|
| M | 10 | 10 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Melvin B. Pate (father)
Erine C. (Harris) Pate (mother)
Bertha R. Pate (sister)
Ora L. Pate (sister)
Evelyn Pate (sister)
Fred W. Pate (brother)
Dow Pate (brother)
Travis D. Pate (brother)
Willie D. Pate (brother)
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
Sgt Dexter B. Pate was a farmer before he volunteered for the Air Corps of the U.S. Army at Camp Shelby, Mississippi on 26 October 1942.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. 2n 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.ancestry.com - 1930/1940 Census / Headstone and Interment Record / Family Tree, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.8thafhs.com
Photo source: 100th Bomb Group Foundation, www.100thbg.com, M.J.H. Hermans