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Submit- Full
name
WILSON, Donald Eugene - Date of
birth
17 June 1919 -
Age
25 - Place of
birth
Morrow County, Ohio -
Hometown
Crawford County, Ohio
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
15016611 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Engineer -
Unit
585th Bombardment Squadron,
394th Bombardment Group, Medium
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
9 August 1944 - Place of
death
Villa des Peupliers, Allée de Tilleuls
Saint-Prix, France
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Epinal
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 31 | 22 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Fred T. Wilson (father)
Ethel M. Wilson (mother)
Dorothy M. Wilson (sister)
Howard F. Wilson (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-96101 -
Data
Type: B-26B
Nickname: My Aching Back
Destination: L’Isle-Adam, France
Mission: Bombing of a railroad bridge
MACR: 7847
More information
S/Sgt Donald E. Wilson attended high school for four years and was employed at Galion Iron Works Manufacturing Company.He joined the Regular Army at Fort Hayes, Ohio on 13 January 1941.
The airplane was hit by flak just after bombs away setting fire to the right engine and the crew bailed out. The aircraft then entered a step glide and was enveloped in flames thirty seconds later at 8,000 ft. It rolled over, dived into the ground and exploded at 2000 hrs at Villa des Peupliers at Saint-Prix, about seven miles southeast of Pontoise, France.
Two crew members were killed, four were taken prisoner and three evaded capture.
S/Sgt Wilson was first buried by the Germans with full military honors at the cemetery of Taverny, France.
He was first buried at the Temporary American Military Cemetery of Solers, France.
A monument in the garden behind the city hall of Saint-Prix remembers the crash.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.abmc.gov, www.findagrave.com, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov– WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / 1930 Census, www.fold3.com, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Andy / Hudson Louie, https://www.uswarmemorials.org/