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name
LOYD, Ira H - Date of
birth
8 October 1922 -
Age
21 - Place of
birth
Arkansas -
Hometown
Madison County, Illinois
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
36431449 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Gunner -
Unit
714th Bombardment Squadron,
448th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
21 February 1944 - Place of
death
Dreierwalde Brucke Horstel, District Tecklenburg, Germany
Horstel, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| D | 11 | 3 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Elisha B. Loyd (father)
Ida F. (Robertson) Loyd (mother)
Laverne S. Loyd (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-7763 -
Data
Type: B-24H
Nickname: The Proud Wanderlost
Destination:Diepholtz, Germany
MACR: 8324
More information
Ira H. Loyd as employed by the National Enamel Stamp Co. before he enlisted in Peoria, Illinois, on 15 October 1942.Cloud cover obscured the primary targets forcing the Bomb Group to seek targets of opportunity. Locating Achmer Airfield on the outskirts of Hesepe, the bombs are dropped on the second pass.
German FW-190s shot down two B-24s and damaged several others. At 2:50 PM, exploding 20 millimeter shells killed the Ball Turret Gunner, S/Sgt Yarnell, and wounded the Radio Operator, Sgt Padgett. Sgt Loyd died after falling out of the aircraft without a parachute. The remaining crew survived the crash of the aircraft in the woods outside Horstel, Germany.
Source of information: Wendy Lensink, Peter Schouteten, Astrid van Erp, ArmyAirForces.com, WWIIMemorial.com, http://www.ancestry.comncestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / 1940 Census, www.newspapers.com - The St. Louis Star and Times
Photo source: Wendy Lensink, www.newspapers.com - The St. Louis Star and Times