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name
KELLY, Bernard Martin - Date of
birth
16 July 1920 -
Age
23 - Place of
birth
Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey -
Hometown
Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
12134764 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Radio Operator/Gunner -
Unit
548th Bombardment Squadron,
385th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
12 May 1944 - Place of
death
Langenhain-Ziegenberg, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 11 | 21 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Martin F. Kelly (father)
Katherine Kelly (mother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-31787 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Zwickau, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the August Horch Motorwagenwerke Industry
MACR: 4879
More information
S/Sgt Bernard M. Kelly was a metal worker. He volunteered for the Air Corps of the Army of the United States in Newark, New Jersey on 14 August 1941.At 1240 hours in the area west of Coburg, Germany, the airplane was rammed in mid-air by an enemy fighter. On impact both aircraft exploded and went down. No parachutes were sighted and it is the pre-samption of those observing the crash that it is inconceivable that any members of the crew of 42-31787 could have gotten out of the aircraft before it struck the earth. The airplane crashed into the community forest of Langenhain-Ziegenberg, near the road to Adlerhorst, 3 km west of the town.
Nine crew members were killed, one was taken prisoner. S/Sgt Kelly was initially buried at the community cemetery of Wernborn.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, WW2Memorial, Footnote, www.ancestry.com - 1940 Census, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.8thafhs.com, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: Peter Schouteten