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name
BLOCK, Ernest - Date of
birth
20 December 1923 -
Age
21 - Place of
birth
Waubay, Day County, South Dakota -
Hometown
Waubay, Day County, South Dakota
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
37583567 -
Rank
Sergeant -
Function
Tail Gunner -
Unit
701st Bombardment Squadron,
445th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Missing in Action - Date of
death
27 February 1945 - Place of
death
Gottenz, 18 km southeast of Halle, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Henri-Chapelle - Tablets of the Missing
Immediate family
-
Members
Frank Block (father)
Martha (Cisewski) Block (mother)
Lucille Block (sister)
Arlene Block (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-51518 -
Data
Type: B-24 J
Destination: Halle, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the marshalling yard
MACR: 12794
More information
The airplane received a direct hit over the target and the right wing came off. Six crew members were killed, three were taken prisoner.Radio operator Sgt Roland F. Castillo and waist gunner Sgt Paul X. Hogan are buried at Lorraine American Military Cemetery.
In March 1953 an investigation team recovered five bodies that could not be identified at that time from cemeteries in Gottenz, Zwochau en Klepzig of which it was sure that they were all members of this crew.
The remains of Sgt Block could were never identified.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Peter Schouteten, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, http://www.in-honored-glory.info/
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, www.vetaffairs.sd.gov