Missing information?

Do you have any additional information you would like to share about a soldier?

Submit

Personal info

Full name
KEANE, William Anthony Jr
Date of birth
1921
Age
unknown
Place of birth
New York
Hometown
Morris, Morris County, New Jersey

Military service

Service number
32927541
Rank
Sergeant
Function
Waist 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
Mountains near Innsbruck, Austria

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Lorraine
Plot Row Grave
A 11 40

Immediate family

Members
William A. Keane (father)
Florence M. (Hoffman) Keane (mother)
Margaret E. Keane (sister)
Agnes R. Keane (sister)
Dorothy J. Keane (sister)
Nancy H. Keane (sister)
John Keane (brother)
Mary E. Keane (wife)

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

Sgt William A. Keane enlisted in Newark, New Jersey on 14 July 1943.

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."

Pvt James J. Smith:
"He was killed instantly by a shell that hit the flight deck."

Source of information: Peter Schouteten, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov – WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / Wanner Family Tree / 1930 Census, www.fold3.com, www.findagrave.com, http://aircrewremembered.com/USAAFCombatOperations/Dec.44.html

Photo source: www.findagrave.com – Laura S / Michel Beckers