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Submit- Full
name
SHELDEN, Fred Edmund - Date of
birth
2 April 1920 -
Age
23 -
Place of birth
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois -
Hometown
Cook County, Illinois
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
16003762 -
Rank
Technical Sergeant -
Function
Radio Operator -
Unit
337th Bombardment Squadron,
96th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Died of Wounds - Date of
death
16 September 1943 - Place of
death
Paris, France
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Epinal
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 6 | 32 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Bion A. Shelden (father)
Louise M. (Wickham) Shelden (mother)
Bion H. Shelden (brother)
Arvilla M. Sheldon (sister)
Merrill F. Shelden (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-30607 -
Data
Type: B-17F
Nickname: Pat Hand
Destination: Paris, France
Mission: Bombing of the Hispano-Suiza industrial complex
MACR: 728
More information
T/Sgt Fred E. Shelden was an office clerkbefore he joined the Regular Army in Chicago, Illinois on 23 January 1941.As the bombers approached the Hispano-Suiza factory in the southwestern suburbs of Paris on 15 September 1943, the formation came under heavy fire from intense German anti-aircraft artillery (flak) and fighter aircraft. The Pat Hand sustained fatal damage. Eyewitnesses stated that the pilots (1Lt Kenneth E. Murphy and 2Lt John R. Young) used every ounce of strength to maneuver the heavily damaged and burning aircraft away from the densely populated residential areas of Paris.
According to French eyewitness statements, the B-17 exploded shortly after clearing the suburbs. The aircraft broke into pieces and crashed in the Paris suburb of La Garenne-Colombes. Due to the mid-air explosion and the intense fire on board.
He bailed out, was wounded, and was captured by the Germans. He died at the Luftwaffe Lazarett in Paris, France on 16 September 1943.
He was first buried at the Temporary American Military Cemetery in Solers, France.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / WWII Draft Cards Young Men / WWII Prisoners of War, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.findagrave.com – Albert Ledoux, www.google.com
Photo source: www.findagrave.com – Andy, www.ancestry.com – John Walters