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Submit- Full
name
ZUENDEL, William Gilbert Jr - Date of
birth
21 April 1923 -
Age
21 -
Place of birth
Akron, Summit County, Ohio -
Hometown
Akron, Summit County, Ohio
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
15134175 -
Rank
Sergeant -
Function
Waist Gunner -
Unit
850th Bombardment Squadron,
490th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Finding of Death - Date of
death
19 April 1945 - Place of
death
Hradištko, Czechoslovakia
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Lorraine
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 14 | 32 |
Immediate family
-
Members
William G. Zuendel Sr. (father)
Caroline I. (McMullen) Zuendel (mother)
Helen M. Zuendel (sister)
Edward A. Zuendel (brother)
Thomas Zuendel (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
43-38701 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Aussig, Czechoslovakia
Mission: Bombing of the marshalling yard
MACR: 14192
More information
Sgt William G. Zuendel Jr attended college and was employed at the B F Goodrich Co Dept before he joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio on 2 December 1942.2nd Lt Frederick W. Harding:
We were just south of Dresden after bombs away when a plane in the lead squadron left the formation and made a long circle to the left. At first we thought he was aborting but then I saw 3 chutes open up. I kept watching the plane to see if anyone also get out but seen after it exploded either when it hit the ground of just before. It seems to me that the men in the plane should have had at least 3 minutes to get out so it is possible the others bailed out without my seeing them. We were at 19.000 feet when he went down and our position was 50.57N – 13.54E.
He had no time to bail out.
A monument at the site of the crash remembers the crew.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / WWII Draft Cards Young Men / McConnell Bledsoe Family Tree / 1940 Census, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.findagrave.com – Russ Pickett
Photo source: www.findagrave.com – Kim / JS, www.newspapers.com – The Akron Beacon Journal - 6 July 1945