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Personal info

Full name
GANSCHOW, Edward
Date of birth
10 September 1915
Age
29
Place of birth
Saginaw County, Michigan
Hometown
Saginaw, Saginaw County, Michigan

Military service

Service number
36150072
Rank
Sergeant
Function
Tail Gunner
Unit
366th Bombardment Squadron,
305th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster

Death

Status
Missing in Action
Date of death
18 April 1945
Place of death
In the vicinity of Biensdorf, Germany

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
Walls of the Missing

Immediate family

Members
Herman P. Ganschow (father)
Natalie Ganschow (mother)
Adolf Ganschow (brother)
Evelyn M. (Rabideau) Ganshow (wife)
Albert J. Ganschow (son)

Plane data

Serial number
43-38085
Data
Type: G-17G
Nickname: Towering Titan
Destination: Dresden, Germany
Mission: Bombing of railroads and marshalling yards
MACR: 14172

More information

Flak was moderate accurate and a few enemy jet aircraft were in the vicinity. One jet aircraft made a pass at the formation and rammed the subject B-17, tearing off the outer panel of the left wing. The aircraft blew up after collision and it went down in a gradual dive going out of sight into the high clouds through which the formation was flying. It is not known whether ramming was intentional or not. The aircraft was under control until it started into a gradual dive.

The entire crew of eight was killed.

In December 1955 an investigation group of three Americans, escorted by Russian officers, proceeded tot the area of Freiberg. After questioning inhabitants of Freiberg and other villiages, no proof could be found that this aircraft did crash in this area. Therefore the exact location of the crash remains unknown.

Seven crew members are still missing. Only the remains of T/Sgt Walter A. McClellan, who is permanently remembered on the Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle, were found in 2008.

Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Astrid van Erp, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov. www.fold3.com - MACR, www.ancestry.com - Spray Family Tree, IDPF of Earl H. Boyd

Photo source: Peter Schouteten, www.ancestry.com - Spray Family Tree