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S/Sgt Leroy E. Leist was a draftsman.

He enlisted at Camp Shelby, Mississippi on 28 August 1942.

The airplane was hit by flak over Frankfurt. Approximately 10 km north of Brussels, Belgium, it lost an engine and pulled out of formation and headed for the undercast. It was smoking but appeared under control. At that time, Erich Scheyda, (an ace of JG26) attacked the straggling bomber that was diving for the undercast. Lt Scheyda damaged the B-17 further, but did not shoot it down. It flew on towards the North Sea and was hit by heavy flak over Vlissingen. The damaged B-17 turned north to a heading of approximately 010 degrees and started a descent, knowing that it could not make the trip across the English Channel.

No parachutes were seen. The entire crew of ten men was killed.

The bodies of Harry Waskewicz, John Hamilton and Richard Anderegg were recovered near Ouddorp, the Netherlands on 6 February 1944. They were buried on 7 February 1944 at Ouddorp Communal Cemetery. The body of John Joyce was recovered near Ellemeet, the Netherlands on 5 April 1944 and was buried on 18 April 1944 in Haamstede Cemetery, near Ellemeet.

The wreckage of the plane is now located and lies near the Europort at Rotterdam, approximately two km southeast of the Hoek of the Europort. The Dutch Royal Navy is hoping to accomplish a side-scan sonar search of this area to re-locate the plane. It is possible that there are still six crew members in the wreckage.

He is remembered at Biloxi National Cemetery, Mississippi.