Missing information?

Do you have any additional information you would like to share about a soldier?

Submit

Personal info

Full name
SCHULTZ, John Joseph
Date of birth
5 September 1921
Age
23
Place of birth
Dundalk, Baltimore County, Maryland
Hometown
Baltimore, Maryland

Military service

Service number
O-829084
Rank
First Lieutenant
Function
Pilot
Unit
848th Bombardment Squadron,
490th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster

Death

Status
Killed in Action
Date of death
21 March 1945
Place of death
In the vicinity of Plauen, Germany

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
Plot Row Grave
A 36 44

Immediate family

Members
Michael Schultz (father)
Frances G. (Kofskey) Schultz (mother)
Joseph Schultz (brother)

Plane data

Serial number
43-93072
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Plauen, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the Vomag vehicles industry
MACR: 13556

More information

1st Lt John J. Schultz enlisted in the Air Corps on 19 February 1943 in Miami Beach, Florida.

Sgt Craig M. Bennet, tail gunner and only surviver testified:
"On our way to the target, over Wienbulla, Germany, we were attacked by ME-262's. On their first pass we became separated from the pilots evidently lost control of the ME-262 and collided with our plane. The resulting collision exploded both aircraft immediately. I was in the tail-gunner position of the ship and the tail section was blown off intact, all else was debris. I saw these three pieces of the ship hit the ground, but I did not see any other parachutes open. This is the last I have seen or heard of the remainder of the crew. Upon landing I asked all Germans I encountered, both civilian and military, how many parachutes came out. All replied they had seen only one chute. The remainder of my crew were never heard of at any of the POW camps I went through. A report which I later received from a friend of mine, who was on another ship, was to the effect that they witnessed no parachutes opening at all. The action was over so quickly that it is my opinion none of the remainder of the crew survived."

The other eight crew members were killed.

Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, WWII Memorial, Fold3 - MACR, WWII Draft Card, www.ancestry.com - Family Trees / Enlistment Record

Photo source: Peter Schouteten