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name
MC GILL, Clement Frank - Date of
birth
11 April 1924 -
Age
20 - Place of
birth
San Jose, Santa Clara County, California -
Hometown
San José, Santa Clara County, California
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
39120664 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Assistant Radio Operator/Ball Turret Gunner -
Unit
339th Bombardment Squadron,
96th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
12 May 1944 - Place of
death
Hahnstätten, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| H | 17 | 13 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Frank Mc Gill (father)
Pearl L. Mc Gill (mother)
Clarence Mc Gill (brother)
Cleo Mc Gill (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-97167 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Brux, Czech Republic
Mission: Bombing of the Sudetenlandische-Treibstoffwerke A.G. - hydrogenation plant
MACR: 4858
More information
S/Sgt Clement F. Mc Gill attended Lincoln High School.He enlisted in San Francisco, California on 16 January 1943.
The airplane was shot down by enemy fighters. Before it crashed, it clipped a rooftop of a house in the village of Hahnstätten and then plumetted into a hillside about 50 yards further. It burst into flames immediately. Attemps were made to save the crew but extreme heat prevented villagers from getting too close. Instead the villagers waited and, after the bodies were recovered, they were taken to a local churchyard and buried in a common grave. A white marble marker was placed at the gravesite with the numbers of the men, taken from their dog tags. The villagers took care of the grave very well and even placed flowers.
Nine crew members were killed. Only the navigator, Robert Rieckelman, survived and was taken prisoner.
On 5 March 1946, the remains were evacuated to Margraten.
Brux was a German city during the war. Now it is called Most and is situated in the Czech Republic.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, Peter Schouteten, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - California Birth Index / 1930 Census, www.fold3.com - MACR
Photo source: www.findagrave.com, Des Philippet, Marcel Loontjens