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Personal info

Full name
LANPHEAR, Byron Eastland
Date of birth
18 August 1913
Age
30
Place of birth
San Jose, Santa Clara County, California
Hometown
Santa Clara, Santa Clara County, California

Military service

Service number
O-432610
Rank
Second Lieutenant
Function
Observer
Unit
714th Bombardment Squadron,
448th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Purple Heart

Death

Status
Killed in Action
Date of death
22 December 1943
Place of death
West of Terschelling, the Netherlands

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
Plot Row Grave
N 20 17

Immediate family

Members
Ethan E. Lanphear (father)
Ellen L. (Wegener) Lanphear (mother)
George W. Lanphear (brother)
Margaret (Maurino) Lanphear (wife)

Plane data

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

More information

2nd Lt Byron E. Lanphear graduated from Los Gatos High School and San Jose State College. He attended the University of California for post graduate work. He was employed at the Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Company.

He enlisted with the Air Corps in San Francisco, California on 15 March 1941. He attended the Army photography school in Denver and completed training in combat intelligence at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He represented the Army Air Corps in the All-Service Golden Gloves tournament in 1942 at San Francisco.

Lt David Manning's aircraft, 42-52105, 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, Terry HIrsch, Astrid van Erp, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - Family Trees, The Albuquerque Tribune - 06 January 1942

Photo source: Peter Schouteten, www.ancestry.com - San Jose State College Yearbook 1934 and 1936