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name
ANDERSEN, Stanley A - Date of
birth
2 February 1920 -
Age
25 -
Place of birth
Cook County, Illinois -
Hometown
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois -
Ethnicity
White
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
16037725 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
unknown -
Unit
832nd Squadron,
406th Air Service Group
-
Awards
Soldier's Medal
Death
-
Status
Died non-Battle - Date of
death
7 May 1945 - Place of
death
Engers Bridge
Koblenz, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Henri-Chapelle - Tablets of the Missing
Immediate family
-
Members
Alfred Andersen (father)
Jennie K. (Swanson) Andersen (mother)
Lloyd H. Andersen (brother)
Royal Andersen (brother)
Herbert N. Andersen (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
unknown -
Data
unknown
More information
S/Sgt Stanley A. Andersen was a clerk before he volunteered for the Air Corps of the Army of the United States on 10 January 1940.Trolley missions were flown in early May 1945. The purpose being to provide all crew and ground personnel the opportunity to see the results of their contribution in the strategic air war against Germany. Many precautions were taken on these missions, and the most responsible and experienced pilots were chosen to fly. There were no trolley missions flown in bad weather. Despite such precautions, accidents occurred, such as this.
The crew decided to circle the cathedral in Koblenz. Presumably the airplane unfortunately flew much too low and collided with supply lines, which were stretched over the river Rhine. Due to the low altitude an evasive maneuver of the airplane was not possible any more. The plane crashed into one of the bridge piers.
All nineteen men aboard were killed, and the remains of only six of them were recovered.
S/Sgt Anderson was one of the 15 passengers on this flight with a B-24J with serialnumber 44-10620.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Terry Hirsch, Raf Dyckmans, www.abmc.gov, National WWII Memorial, National Archives
Photo source: Peter Schouteten