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Submit- Full
name
JACKSON, Douglas J - Date of
birth
2 July 1925 -
Age
19 - Place of
birth
Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio -
Hometown
Lorain County, Ohio
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
15127163 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Tail Gunner -
Unit
773rd Bombardment Squadron,
463rd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
20 March 1945 - Place of
death
Mühlleiten, Vienna, Austria
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 39 | 51 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Douglas H. Jackson (father)
Nellie C. Jackson (mother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-6421 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Kagran, Vienna, Austria
Mission: Bombing of the oil refinery
MACR: 13052
More information
S/Sgt Douglas J. Jackson graduated from Elyria High School in 1943. He worked in an automobile factory.He enlisted at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, on 6 September 1943. He was sent overseas in January 1945.
The airplane was hit by flak and was last seen in the bomb run when the #1 engine started to flame. The pilot put it into a steep right dive. When they were in a cloud, witnesses saw an explosion through the mist.
Four crew members survived and were taken prisoner. Six were killed, of which five were initially buried in a common grave at the community cemetery of Mühlleiten, Vienna, on 27 March 1945.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Peter Schouteten, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, Ohio Birth Index
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Elyria High School 1943