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Submit- Full
name
STANFORD, Merwyn Fisher Jr - Date of
birth
24 November 1924 -
Age
19 - Place of
birth
Green, Wayne County, Indiana -
Hometown
Wayne County, Indiana
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
35140853 -
Rank
Sergeant -
Function
Ball Turret Gunner -
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 |
|---|---|---|
| J | 16 | 6 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Merwyn F. Stanford (father)
Thelma E. (Coggeshall) Stanford (mother)
Marcia Stanford (sister)
Marilyn Stanford (sister)
Max Stanford (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-97983 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Merseburg, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the oil plants
MACR: 7367
More information
Sgt Merwyn F. Stanford, Jr. worked on a farm.He enlisted in Indianapolis, Indiana on 8 April 1943.
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, fire starting in the left wing and spreading to aircraft #42-107070, which were meshed together.
The planes parted the formation at 10,000 feet, spinning and disintegrating, both exploding before hitting the ground.
Five crew members survived and were taken prisoner, and five were killed.
The casualties of both planes were initially buried at the community cemetery of Hoorn on 12 July 1944.
A monument is dedicated to the crew members in Hoorn, The Netherlands.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Jack Heyman, Raf Dyckmans, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - 1930 Census / Birth Certificate, www.fold3.com - MACR
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Fam. Heyman, Frank Leek