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