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name
BERGMAN, Harold Eugene "Yo-yo" - Date of
birth
10 March 1920 -
Age
23 - Place of
birth
Hankinson, Richland County, North Dakota -
Hometown
Ellendale, Dickey County, North Dakota
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-739889 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
Co-Pilot -
Unit
511th Bombardment Squadron,
351st Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Missing in Action - Date of
death
3 November 1943 - Place of
death
Off the coast of Mellum Island, north of Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten - Walls of the Missing
Immediate family
-
Members
Roy G. Bergman (father)
Eva (Wolfe) Bergman (mother)
Dorothy A. Bergman (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-29852 -
Data
Type: B-17F
Nickname: Fire Ball
Destination: Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the port
MACR: 1160
More information
Harold E. Bergman graduated from Ellendale High School in 1940.He joined the Field Artillery of the National Guard in Lisbon, North Dakota on 1 April 1941. He later volunteered for the Air Corps.
During the bomb run, enemy fighters attacked the formation. A lower squadron B-17 pilot was shot through the head, and his aircraft pitched up, colliding with this aircraft. The mid air collision severly damaged the aircraft, and as it dropped out of formation, it was attacked by three enemy fighters. The waist gunners shot down two of them, but the B-17 exploded. Spinning downward, it crashed in the sea. Six of the crew survived and were taken prisoner. Four men were killed.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Raf Dyckmans, www.351st.org, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - Family Tree
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, www.ancestry.com - Mary Johnson Corcoran (cousin), www.findagrave.com - Phil Squires, www.newspapers.com - The Bismarck Tribune 11 November