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Personal info

Full name
KASPRZAK, Joseph Francis
Date of birth
30 September 1923
Age
20
Place of birth
Bridgeville, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Hometown
Bridgeville, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Military service

Service number
13155970
Rank
Staff Sergeant
Function
Tail Turret Gunner/Radio Operator
Unit
714th Bombardment Squadron,
448th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal

Death

Status
Finding of Death
Date of death
22 December 1943
Place of death
North Sea, west of Terschelling, the Netherlands

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
Walls of the Missing

Immediate family

Members
John Kasprzak (father)
Edna Kasprzak (mother)
John R. Kasprzak (brother)
Helen Kasprzak (sister)
Sofia Kasprzak (sister)
Clara Kasprzak (sister)
Edna Kasprzak (sister
Irene Kasprzak (sister)
Theodore J. Kasprzak (brother)

Plane data

Serial number
42-52105
Data
Type: B-24H
Destination: Osnabruck, Germany
MACR: 3313

More information

S/Sgt Joseph Kasprzak graduated from Bridgeville High School and worked for General Electric before he enlisted in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on 3 November 1942.

The airplane was hit by German flak. When the plane left the formation, German fighters pounced and shot down the stricken plane. The bomber crashed into the sea West of Terschelling. None of the crew members survived the crash.

Source of information: Peter Schouteten, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, Book: Almost Forgotten - Joseph K. Oyler, www.ancestry.com - Veteran Compensation Application File

Photo source: Peter Schouteten, www.newspapers.com - The Pittsburgh Press