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name
WALKER, Herman - Date of
birth
28 November 1923 -
Age
20 - Place of
birth
Manhattan, New York -
Hometown
The Bronx, Bronx County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
32718855 -
Rank
Technical Sergeant -
Function
Engineer/Top 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
22 May 1944 - Place of
death
Hahnstätten, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| J | 2 | 8 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Matthew Walker (father)
Marry Walker (mother)
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
The airplane was shot down by enemy fighters. Before it crashed, it clipped a rooftop of a hous 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.
T/Sgt Herman Walker is remembered at the Ballard-Barrett Cemetery in Mahopac Falls, Putnam County, New York
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Peter Schouteten, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record, www.fold3.com - MACR
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, www.findagrave.com