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name
GILBERT, Frederick H Jr - Date of
birth
7 March 1925 -
Age
19 - Place of
birth
New York -
Hometown
Brooklyn, Kings County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
12220123 -
Rank
Sergeant -
Function
Top Turret Gunner/Engineer -
Unit
703rd Bombardment Squadron,
445th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Missing in Action - Date of
death
16 August 1944 - Place of
death
Mosigkau near Dessau, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Henri-Chapelle - Tablets of the Missing
Immediate family
-
Members
Frederick H. Gilbert (father)
Agnes M. Gilbert (mother)
Gladys Gilbert (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-52447 -
Data
Type: B-24H
Destination: Dessau, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the aviation industry
MACR: 8431
More information
Sgt Frederick H. Gilbert Jr. was a clerk before he joined the U.S. Army Reserve in New York City, New York, on 6 March 1943.The airplane with number 42-51098 was hit by flak and went down over the target. On its way down, it knocked the wing off airplane 42-52447. Both ships went down and two to five parachutes were seen, but it is not sure from which airplane the parachutes were.
Eight crew members were killed and were buried in a mass-grave at Mosigkau, together with casualties of other crashed planes, according to German records. An investigation in October 1946 revealed that between August and September 1944, four American planes crashed in the area. In some cases bodies were buried near the crashed plane, another time they were buried in mass-graves. Some of the remains could be identified at that time, others couldn't.
Also, proper investigation was not possible due to political restrictions because the area was in Russian-occupied territory.
One crew member was taken prisoner.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Peter Schouteten, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.fold3.com - MACR
Photo source: Peter Schouteten