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name
TRAPP, Richard Carr - Date of
birth
17 May 1919 -
Age
25 - Place of
birth
Piqua, Miami County, Ohio -
Hometown
Van Wert County, Ohio
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
35297796 -
Rank
Sergeant -
Function
Left Waist Gunner -
Unit
751st Bombardment Squadron,
457th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
16 February 1945 - Place of
death
Castrop-Rauxel, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| D | 12 | 31 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Weber C. Trapp (father)
Lulu P. (Holbert) Trapp (mother)
Marguerite (Johnston) Trapp (stepmother)
Frances (Landis) Trapp (wife)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-6831 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the synthetic oil plants
MACR: 12435
More information
Richard Trapp graduated from Van Wert High School in 1937 and attended Ohio State University. He was employed at the Delco Company.He enlisted in January 1944.
The plane was hit in the right wing by flak while over the target. The burst occurred near engine #3 and the right wing broke off and folded over the cockpit. The plane immediately began to roll and then went into a flat spin. It was not seen to explode and no parachutes were seen. Six members of the crew were killed and four were taken prisoner.
Source of information: Terry Hirsch, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / 1930/1940 Census, Van Wert Times Bulletin - 8 March 1945, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: www.findagrave.com, Van Wert High School Yearbook 1937 - courtesy of Kathy McDermott, 457thbombgroupassoc.org