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name
PERRY, Kenneth Gregory - Date of
birth
24 January 1924 -
Age
20 - Place of
birth
Beacon, Dutchess County, New York -
Hometown
Dutchess County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
T-005426 -
Rank
Flight Officer -
Function
Bombardier -
Unit
710th Bombardment Squadron,
447th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
25 November 1944 - Place of
death
Plauen, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| E | 17 | 9 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Roland H. Perry (brother)
Melvin Perry (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
43-37869 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: "Blonde Bomber"
Destination: Merseburg, Germany
Mission: Bombing
MACR: 10756
More information
F/O Kenneth G. Perry graduated from Beacon High School in 1941 and attended Springfield College in Massachusetts for two years.He joined the U.S. Army Reserve in February 1943.
The aircraft encountered flak at 27,000 feet over Merseburg, Germany, losing two engines and exploding. S/Sgt Valentine Villanueva saw the co-pilot, F/O Charles F. Voyles, slumped over the wheel as a result of flak fire. Bombardier F/O Perry was last seen in the nose of the plane. After jumping, S/Sgt Villanueva thought he saw Radio Operator Litchfield at the waist door, but the plane exploded before the person could jump.
F/O Perry was found dead at the place of the crash. He was initially buried at the municipal cemetery of Kistritz.
Source of information: Michel Beckers, Terry Hirsch, Astrid van Erp, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / WWII Draft Card
Photo source: Michel Beckers, The Beacon News - 30 December 1944, www.ancestry.com - Springfield College Yearbook 1947