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name
WAGNER, James Lester "Jim" - Date of
birth
10 November 1918 -
Age
25 -
Place of birth
Enon Valley, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania -
Hometown
New Castle, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania -
Ethnicity
White
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-748852 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
Co-Pilot -
Unit
409th Bombardment Squadron,
93rd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
1 April 1944 - Place of
death
Bourgogne-Fresne, France
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Epinal
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 38 | 48 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Claude M. Wagner (father)
Ethel V. (Boyd) Wagner (mother)
Helen V. Wagner (sister)
Bernice I. Wagner (sister)
Merle L. Wagner (brother)
Donald W. Wagner (brother)
Virginia M. Wagner (sister)
Doris J. Wagner (sister)
Eleanor L. Wagner (sister)
Marjorie J. Wagner (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-100248 -
Data
Type: B-24J
Nickname: Bar Fly
Destination: Pforzheim, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the city center
MACR: 3563
More information
1st Lt James L. Wagner was a driver before he joined the Regular Army at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland on 1 November 1941. He was sent overseas in September 1943.The aircraft was hit by flak over the target and during the return flight, the formation was attacked by enemy fighters.
Nine crew members were killed and one was taken prisoner.
Lt Wagner was first buried at the Temporary American Military Cemetery in Champigneul, France.
He is remembered at the Castle View Memorial Gardens at Neshannock Township, Lawrence, Pennsylvania.
A monument near the corner of the Rue de la Libération and the Avenue du Dr. Manichon in Bourgogne-Fresne, France was erected near the site were two B-24s crashed on 1 April 1944.
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, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.findagrave.com – Russ Pickett / MrsJB / Sharon D. Wagner, www.google.com, www.newspapers.com – New Castle News - 29 April 1944
Photo source: www.findagrave.com – Sharon D. Wagner / Gary Hawthorne / MrsJB