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Submit- Full
name
DENT, James Edgar Jr - Date of
birth
9 April 1918 -
Age
26 - Place of
birth
Jackson, Madison County, Tennessee -
Hometown
Jackson, Madison County, Tennessee
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-813868 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Co-Pilot -
Unit
545th Bombardment Squadron,
384th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
13 April 1944 - Place of
death
Mannheim, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 8 | 12 |
Immediate family
-
Members
James E. Dent (father)
Nora (Hitchcock) Dent (mother)
Annie L. (Johnson) Dent (wife)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-31048 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Schweinfurt, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the ball-bearing factories
MACR: 3866
More information
James Dent attended West Tennessee Business College, Lambuth College and Wm. R. Moore School of Technology. He was employed as a senior engineering aide at the Navy Yard in Charleston, South Carolina, when he volunteered for the Air Corps of the Army of the United States at Camp Forrest, Tennessee on 30 October 1942.He was married to Annie L. Johnson on 4 January 1941.
The group was escorted by P-47s. As soon as this escort dived down upon some enemy fighters, a wave of fifteen FW-190s made a head-on attack from a great distance away, coming in slightly below. As they were continuing across the front of the formation, three additional FW-190s using the latter as a screen, suddenly broke beneath them and dove again into the formation. During this attack, seven B-17s from the squadron were shot down. This B-17 was hit in the center of the fuselage, the wings, and the tail, and exploded nearly immediately.
Two crew members were taken prisoner, and eight men were killed.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.384thBombGroup.com, www.ancestry.com - Marriage Record / 1930 Census, www.newspapers.com, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: Guy Maes, www.newspapers.com - The Jackson Sun, www.ancestry.com - Lambuth College Yearbook 1939