Memorial

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S/Sgt John J. Backowski was an actor before he joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in Charleston, West Virginia, on 18 June 1942.

The airplane was under attack by Fw-190s just before the target. It had a hole in the right aileron and another in the right wing where the main gas tanks are located. The airplane winged over to the left and back in a slicing dive, gas spraying out and enveloping it in flames. No parachutes were seen to leave the aircraft. The entire crew of 10 was killed.

The killed crew members were initially buried at the New Cemetery at Rostock on 17 April 1944. They were disinterred and evacuated to Ardennes on 10 April 1947.

The grave of S/Sgt Backowski was marked with a grave marker with the inscription: 'Unbekannter Englisher Flieger'. His remains were identified at Ardennes by 15 corresponding laundry marks and by his tooth charts. At Ardennes, he was first buried at block X, row 12, grave 287. He was disinterred on 6 December 1948, and his remains were prepared and placed in a casket on 13 January 1949. He was given his final resting place in September 1949 (the exact date is unclear in the file).