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name
LOADES, Henry Philip - Date of
birth
17 June 1917 -
Age
27 -
Place of birth
Canada -
Hometown
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-724247 -
Rank
Captain -
Function
Bombardier -
Unit
750th Bombardment Squadron,
457th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster,
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
9 October 1944 - Place of
death
The bay of Szczecin
Szczecin, Poland
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 40 | 52 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Alfred P. Loades (father)
Jeanette Loades (mother)
Henry Loades (grandfather)
Alma C. Loades (grandmother)
Mary Lou (Greenwood) Loades (wife)
Henry Loades Jr. (son)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-8046 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Politz, Poland
Mission: Bombing of the synthetic oil refinery
MACR: 9767
More information
Henry Loades attended college for two years.He joined the Air Corps of the Regular Army in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on 28 October 1941.
The group was the suject of intense, accurate flak, both barrage and tracking type. The #2 engine and perhaps #3 caught on fire. The aircraft went down in a steep dive, spiral, of flat spin. The engine and piece of the right wing came off. Then a section of the tail came off. The plane blew up or fell apart. Some pieces were seen to land in Stettiner harbor.
In 2022 a group of researchers of the Polish Arms Museum in KoĊobrzeg discovered remains of the wreckage in the bay of Szczecin. Of three crew members, the remians were never found and they could still be inside the wreckage. It is now investigated if the wreckege can be salvaged. A report on the search can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=856GeNDah5E
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Carla Mans, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record, www.newspapers.com The Rhinelander Daioy News, Homepage - The 457th Bomb Group (H) Association (457thbombgroupassoc.org)
Photo source: Jac Engels, Bombardier Class Book, 41/1 - 41/2, Ellington Field, Houston, Texas