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name
YOUNG, John Elmer - Date of
birth
16 January 1916 -
Age
27 -
Place of birth
Shenandoah, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania -
Hometown
Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-743154 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Co-Pilot -
Unit
337th Bombardment Squadron,
96th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
15 September 1943 - Place of
death
La Garenne-Colombes, France
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Epinal
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 6 | 30 |
Immediate family
-
Members
George D. Young (father)
Ella R. (Sterner) Young (mother)
Georgine Young (sister)
Monica M. (DeNapoli) Young (wife)
Kathleen Young (daughter)
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
2nd Lt John E. Young was employed at the Pottsville Storage Company before he enlisted on 27 June 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, the crew members had virtually no chance to bail out with their parachutes.
He was first buried at the Temporary American Military Cemetery in Solers, France.
On one photo his daughter Kathleen Young Connelly poses at the grave of her father during a visit of the Cemetery in October 2015. Kathleen was born in March of 1945 and never knew her father.
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 / Connelly Family Tree, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.findagrave.com – Coleman / Embalms Away, www.google.com
Photo source: www.findagrave.com – Andy, www.ancestry.com – Bob Connelly