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Personal info

Full name
ROUFS, Darril Francis
Date of birth
17 April 1917
Age
27
Place of birth
Winsted, McLeod County, Minnesota
Hometown
Winsted, McLeod County, Minnesota

Military service

Service number
O-775139
Rank
First Lieutenant
Function
Pilot
Unit
848th Bombardment Squadron,
490th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters

Death

Status
Killed in Action
Date of death
5 April 1945
Place of death
Sommelsdijk, the Netherlands

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
Plot Row Grave
A 24 21

Immediate family

Members
Edward B. Roufs (father)
Catherine (Schlagel) Roufs (mother)
Leverne E. Roufs (brother)
Donald J. Roufs (brother)
Idene M. (O'Hagen) Roufs (wife)
Mary Katherine Roufs (daughter)

Plane data

Serial number
43-38131
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: Miss Mary Kay
Destination: Unterschlauersbach, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the airfield
MACR: 13854

More information

1st Lt Darril F. Roufs joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri on 30 January 1943.

Around 1325 hours the aircraft was hit by flak from German naval vessels in the harbor of Middelharnis. It caught fire and crashed in a field in Westplaat-polder in Sommelsdijk. Members of the Red Cross recovered the bodies and brought them to the morgue of the general cemetery in Sommelsdijk where they were buried on Saturday April 7, 1945. The entire crew of nine was killed.

Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / Otto Family Tree, 1940 US Census

Photo source: www.findagrave.com, Arie-Jan van Hees - Pilot Class Book 44-D Chico AAF California