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name
TERJAK, Paul John - Date of
birth
10 July 1918 -
Age
26 -
Place of birth
Homestead, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania -
Hometown
Crawford County, Pennsylvania -
Ethnicity
White
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-706762 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Bombardier -
Unit
748th Bombardment Squadron,
457th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
24 August 1944 - Place of
death
North Sea, off the coast of the islands of Pellworm en Amrum, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 18 | 11 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Paul Terjak (father)
Valeria E. (Csengery) Terjak (mother)
Robert Terjak (brother)
Julius Terjak (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-97558 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: Tis me Sugar
Destination: Weimar, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the airfield
MACR: 8200
More information
2nd Lt Paul J. Terjak enlisted in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on 26 August 1941.One report says that there were no fighters or flak and the plane simply left the formation and was not seen again.
Another report stated that it was hit by a lone fighter plane, lost two engines, went into a spin and later exploded at a lower altitude.
It is not entirely clear where the aircraft must have crashed, probably in the North Sea, near the islands of Pellworm or Amrum. This is based on the fact that the remains of one crew member, Robert P. Stewart, were found on the island of Pellworm, and that the remains of Paul J. Terjak washed ashore on the west coast of Amrum on 9 September 1944, where he was buried in the Neuer Friedhof that same day.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.ancestry.com - U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil / Pennsylvania Compensation Record, Homepage - The 457th Bomb Group (H) Association (457thbombgroupassoc.org)
Photo source: Mireille Goedhart, Laura Phillips via Arie-Jan van Hees