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Personal info

Full name
STIRNEMAN, Charles Harry
Date of birth
15 May 1921
Age
22
Place of birth
Seattle, King County, Washington
Hometown
Redlands, San Bernardino County, California

Military service

Service number
O-743864
Rank
First Lieutenant
Function
Bombardier/Navigator
Unit
456th Bombardment Squadron,
323rd Bombardment Group, Medium
Awards
Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters

Death

Status
Missing in Action
Date of death
18 April 1944
Place of death
North Sea, off the shore of Dunkirk, France

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
Tablets of the Missing

Immediate family

Members
Herman U. Stirneman (father)
Hazel M. (Hickerson) Stirneman (mother)
Ruth M. Stirneman (sister)

Plane data

Serial number
41-31873
Data
Type: B-26B
Destination: Dunkerque, France
Mission: Bombing of gun positions and a marshalling yard
MACR: 4003

More information

1st Lt Charles H. Stirneman graduated from Redlands High School in 1940.

He joined the Air Corps of the Regular Army on 28 August 1940 at March Field, California. He served the first 18 months in the Air Corps Bureau of Meteorology and he transferred to flight training in 1942.

This airplane was hit by flak in the nose, it pulled up under B-26 # 41-35006 and rammed its tail. Both aircraft crashed into the see.

The entire crew of five men was killed.

Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.fold3.com, www.ancestry.com

Photo source: FOHF, www.ancestry.com - U.S. School Yearbooks - Redlands High School 1940, www.newspapers.com - The San Bernadino County Sun 22 April 1943