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name
GILBERT, William Thurston Jr - Date of
birth
27 January 1924 -
Age
20 - Place of
birth
New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut -
Hometown
Woodbridge, New Haven County, Connecticut
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-819332 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
362nd Fighter Squadron,
357th Fighter Group
-
Awards
Distinguished Flying Cross,
Air Medal with 9 Oak Leaf Clusters,
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
24 December 1944 - Place of
death
Western border of Machtlos-Breitenbach am Herzberg, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| F | 21 | 2 |
Immediate family
-
Members
William T. Gilbert (father)
Dorothy (Blakeslee) Gilbert (mother)
James H. Gilbert (brother)
Jean Gilbert (sister)
Coulter B. Gilbert (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-15620 -
Data
Type: P51D
Destination: Frankfurt, Germany
Mission: Bomber escort
MACR: 11250
More information
1st Lt. William T. Gilbert Jr. was mortally wounded by his second victim before bailing out west of Machtlos. The German pilot who shot down Gilbert, Gefreiter Hans Hufnagel of 7/JG.300, was also forced to exit his stricken Fw-190, but was at too low an altitude for his parachute to open and he fell to his death east of Gorzhain, less than a kilometer from where Gilbert's body was found. They were both buried by local residents in Gorzhain.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.fold3.com - WWII Draft Card, 1930 United States Federal Census , National WWII Memorial, Footnote
Photo source: Merle Olmsted, Peter Schouteten