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name
KARDOS, George J Jr - Date of
birth
1 August 1925 -
Age
19 - Place of
birth
Michigan -
Hometown
Genesee Township, Genesee County, Michigan
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
16130542 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Tail Gunner -
Unit
720th Bombardment Squadron,
450th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
25 December 1944 - Place of
death
Near Innsbruck, Austria
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Lorraine
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| D | 6 | 17 |
Immediate family
-
Members
George J. Kardos (father)
Ruth E. (Boda) Kardos (mother)
Richard F. Kardos (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-41041 -
Data
Type: B-24J
Nickname: Passionate Pirate
Destination: Innsbruck, Austria
Mission: Bombing of the marshalling yard
MACR: 10744
More information
S/Sgt George J. Kardos joined the Regular Army at Fort Sheridan, Illinois on 9 February 1944.Cpl Daniel H. Clark:
"On 25 December 1944, our group was on a mission to bomb the marshalling yards at Innsbruck, Austria. I was flying as nose gunner in ship number 231 in the number seven position in the first box of the second attack unit. Lt Wolfe was flying ship number 44-41041 in the number five position in the first box of the second attack unit. Over the target, Lt Wolfe’s aircraft received a direct hit on the flight deck near the pilot’s compartment. Immediately, three crew members bailed out of the ship. The aircraft fell out of formation, turned over and went into a steep dive. Approximately five thousand feet from the ground, the wings of the aircraft came off. The rest of the ship fell to the ground and caught on fire. I saw two of the crew members parachutes unfold but failed to see any of the parachutes open. The time was 1208. The coordinates were 47.16N 11.24E."
S/Sgt Jean R. Arcand:
"His parachute probably didn’t open."
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov – WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / Wickham Family Tree, www.fold3.com, www.findagrave.com, http://aircrewremembered.com/USAAFCombatOperations/Dec.44.html
Photo source: www.findagrave.com – Michel Beckers, www.ancestry.com – Justin Wickham