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Personal info

Full name
GLAZE, Gerald Dutton
Date of birth
27 November 1919
Age
24
Place of birth
West Columbia, Lexington County, South Carolina
Hometown
Richland County, South Carolina

Military service

Service number
14074559
Rank
Sergeant
Function
Ball Turret Gunner
Unit
332nd Bombardment Squadron,
91st Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal

Death

Status
Missing in Action
Date of death
22 December 1943
Place of death
The Hoogovens
Velsen, the Netherlands

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
Walls of the Missing

Immediate family

Members
Archie M. Glaze (father)
Florence M. (Dutton) Glaze (mother)
Lillian A. Glaze (sister)
Silvia J. Glaze (sister)
Patricia Glaze (sister)

Plane data

Serial number
42-37738
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: Miss America II
Destination: Osnabruck, Germany
MACR: 1715

More information

Sgt Gerald D. Glaze graduated from Brookland-Cayce High School and was employed by the South Carolina Highway Department as a motor vehicle inspector.

He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on 3 April 1942 at Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina

On 22 December 1943, we were returning to England after dropping our bombs on Osnabruck, Germany. Our plane had been damaged by ME-109's and FW 190's. Fire was coming out bullet holes on our right wing. We knew that it was buring the rubberized coating of the wing gas tank and soon would explode. The pilot, after unsuccessful attempts to extinguish the fire, gave us the order to bail out. As we were at 25,000 feet we were fortunate that nine of our crew landed safely. Because of heavy cloud cover, we did not know if we were over land or the ocean. Although we were widely scattered when we bailed out, we were all captured quickly by Germans.

Sgt Glaze bailed out, but probably drowned in the North Sea.

Source of information: Michel Beckers, www.stewthornley.net, MACR

Photo source: Michel Beckers, Howard Thornley, Peter Schouteten, The State Sun - 20 February 1944