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name
JEROME, Leonard W Jr - Date of
birth
7 November 1921 -
Age
22 -
Place of birth
Buffalo, Erie County, New York -
Hometown
Buffalo, Erie County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
32671684 -
Rank
Technical Sergeant -
Function
Radio Operator/Gunner -
Unit
391st Bombardment Squadron,
34th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Missing in Action - Date of
death
19 July 1944 - Place of
death
English Channel, off the coast of Dieppe, France
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes - Tablets of the Missing
Immediate family
-
Members
Leonard Jerome Sr. (father)
Irene Jerome (mother)
Rhoda Jerome (sister)
James Jerome (brother)
Robert Jerome (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-40284 -
Data
Type: B-24J
Nickname: Tondelayo
Destination: Saarbrücken, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the marshalling yards
MACR: 7422
More information
Leonard W. Jerome, Jr. graduated from South Park High School in 1941. He was employed at the Curtiss-Wright airplane plant.He enlisted in Buffalo, New York, on 5 December 1942.
The plane was hit by flak about one minute after releasing its bombs. Although all the controls were damaged, the pilot managed to fly the aircraft westward toward the coast of France, where three crew members parachuted from the damaged bomber over Dieppe. They all drowned. The remaining crew managed to get the aircraft back to England, where they bailed out about 15 miles inland. The aircraft itself remained airborne and flew to Wingene, Belgium, where it made a belly landing.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, WWIIMemorial.com, NARA, Footnote.com, Valortovictory.tripod.com
Photo source: Jac Engels, www.findagrave.com, South Park High School 1941