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name
PELKEY, Ernest Edwin - Date of
birth
21 January 1914 -
Age
30 - Place of
birth
Liberty, Clay County, Missouri -
Hometown
Kansas City, Boone County, Missouri
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-341359 -
Rank
Captain -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
856th Bombardment Squadron,
492nd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
7 July 1944 - Place of
death
Neuwegerleben, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 41 | 49 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Charles E. Pelkey (father)
Eulia Pelkey (mother)
Dorothy S. (Wilkinson) Pelkey (wife)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-40086 -
Data
Type: B-24J
Nickname: Laura Jo
Destination: Bernburg, Germany
MACR: 7831
More information
On 7 July 1944, the 492nd participated in a bombing run on a German aircraft manufacturing plant in Bernburg. Captain Pelkey's nine-man ship was the first to be hit by the defending Luftwaffe. His ship spun and then suddenly exploded killing everyone inside. The pieces of the plane were scattered over a large area. Only the tail section was found somewhat intact. All of the bodies were recovered but three of them couldn't be individually identified.Ernest Pelkey was a stateside instructor at Sherman Field.
Source of information: Michel Beckers, 492nd Bomb Group, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - Family Trees
Photo source: Michel Beckers, 492nd Bomb Group, Peter Schouteten