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CRIBBS, La Rue F - Date of
birth
3 September 1916 -
Age
27 - Place of
birth
North Carolina -
Hometown
Polk County, Florida
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-815088 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
570th Bombardment Squadron,
390th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
7 July 1944 - Place of
death
Near Hoorn, Netherlands
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| C | 21 | 7 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Frank J. Cribbs (father)
Grace L. Cribbs (mother)
Marie L. Cribbs (sister)
Charles D. Cribbs (brother)
Ruth H. (Curtis) Cribbs (wife)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-97983 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Merseburg, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the oil plants
MACR: 7367
More information
2nd Lt La Rue F. Cribbs attended Wake Forest College and was a salesman for the Lorus Tabacco Company of Virginia.He enlisted at Camp Blanding, Florida, on 16 January 1942. He received his wings and commission in Columbus, Mississippi, on 3 November 1943. He graduated as a bomber pilot at Hendricks Field in January 1944.
At 0604 hours at 5238 N-0455 E, aircraft #42-107070 was rammed by aircraft #42-97983, as a result of the first aircraft dropping back when caught in prop wash.
The plane lost the propellors and #2 engine, with the fire starting in the left wing and spreading from the aircraft to #42-107070, which were meshed together.
The planes departed the formation at 10,000 feet, spinning and disintegrating; both exploding before hitting the ground.
Five crew members survived and were taken prisoner, five were killed.
The casualties of both planes were initially buried at the community cemetery of Hoorn on 12 July 1944.
The last picture is of a monument dedicated to the men of the B-17G, in Hoorn, The Netherlands.
At the time of his death, his brother Charles served with the Navy in France.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - 1930 census / United States Social Security Death Index / Florida, Marriages, 1830-1993, The Tampa Times 27 October 1944
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Frank Leek, www.findagrave.com - Robert Whitehead