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name
WHALEN, Edmund Drew - Date of
birth
12 May 1920 -
Age
23 - Place of
birth
Brooklyn, Kings County, New York -
Hometown
Brooklyn, Kings County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-886143 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
334th Fighter Squadron,
4th Fighter Group
-
Awards
Distinguished Flying Cross,
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
6 March 1944 - Place of
death
Nienburg area, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| E | 6 | 21 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Herbert F. Whalen (father)
Rosemary Whalen (mother)
Herbert F. Whalen Jr. (brother)
Rosemary Whalen (sister)
Robert Whalen (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
43-6899 -
Data
Type: P-51B
Mission: Bomber escort
MACR: 2839
More information
Lt Edmund Whalen saw service with the Canadian and British air forces before he was transferred to the United States Air Force in October 1943. He enlisted in the R.C.A.F. in California on 9 March 1942, and after initial flight training at Lancaster, California, took advanced training and was made a flight officer at Mockton, N.B., in October 1942. He went to England immediately afterward and was transferred to the R.A.F. His decorations include the British R.A.F. Star and R.A.F. Air Medal, the US Distinguished Flying Cross, and the U.S. Air Medal. His older brother, Herbert F. Jr, 25, enlisted in the United States Army. He, too, was a lieutenant in the Air Force2nd Lt Howard N. Moulton Jr. states in the Missing Aircrew Report:
"Lt Whalen dove on a ME-110 about twenty miles south of Berlin. He started his attack at 15,000 feet and closed to a close range line astern. He fired a short burst at the enemy aircraft, which exploded at once. I saw many pieces flying back. I saw the ME-110 crash, but did not see Lt Whalen pull up, nor did I see where he could have crashed. After pulling up, I did see a chute coming down in the near vicinity.
"During this time, I was flying his no. 2 back about 500 yards. My pull-out was about 500 feet. The action took place somewhat below me."
Source of information: Michel Beckers, Terry Hirsch, National WWII Memorial, Footnote, www.newspapers.com - The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, www.ancestry.com - 1930 Census, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: Arie-Jan van Hees, www.ancestry.com - Brooklyn Prep School 1939, School Yearbook