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name
WELLS, John F - Date of
birth
23 August 1921 -
Age
22 - Place of
birth
Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan -
Hometown
Miami Beach, Dade County, Florida
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-799690 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
723rd Bombardment Squadron,
450th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Distinguished Flying Cross,
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
24 May 1944 - Place of
death
Kaiblinggraben, Austria
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Lorraine
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 21 | 29 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Harold B. Wells (father)
Viola D. (Fullam) Wells (mother)
Robert Wells (brother)
Dorothy Wells (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-52143 -
Data
Type: B-24H
Nickname: Wells Cargo
Destination: Wiener Neustadt, Austria
Mission: Bombing of the industrial areas
MACR: 5647
More information
1st Lt John F. Wells graduated from Miami Beach High School and attended the University of Florida for 1 year before he volunteered for the Air Corps of the U.S. Army in Miami, Florida on 31 March 1942. He was sent overseas in November 1943.He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for a mission to the oil refineries in Ploesti, Romania.
2nd Lt Edward T. Pickard Jr.:
"On 24 May 1944, our group was on a mission to bomb the target at Wiener Neustadt, Austria. I was flying as Navigator in ship #545 in the low left element of the second attack unit. Lt Wells aircraft #143 was in the lead position of the same element. During an enemy fighter attack, Lt Wells ship was hit and a very intense fire was started in the waist. In a short time the entire aircraft was consumed in flames. The tail twisted off and then the wings blew off. The ship lost its level flight and dove in parts to the ground. I saw four chutes leave the plane before the ship came apart. Two chutes came from the waist, one came from the bomb bay and one from the nose section."
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Astrid van Erp, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov – WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / 1940 census, www.fold3.com, http://aircrewremembered.com/USAAFCombatOperations/May.44.html
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Laura S