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name
MATHISON, Paul Lewis - Date of
birth
19 February 1920 -
Age
24 - Place of
birth
Wisconsin -
Hometown
Dane County, Wisconsin
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-421779 -
Rank
Captain -
Function
Co-Pilot -
Unit
328th Bombardment Squadron,
93rd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
12 October 1944 - Place of
death
Wellmannsbruch, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| P | 2 | 13 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Otto Mathison (father)
Louella E. Mathison (mother)
John Mathison (brother)
Guinevere L. (Pekel) Mathison (wife)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-50606 -
Data
Type: B-24J
Destination: Osnabruck, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the rail road yard
MACR: 9470
More information
Capt Paul L. Mathison attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison with theclass of 1942.He joined the Regular Army on 26 November 1940 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The airplane suffered a direct hit on the number three engine while over the target area. The explosion tore a section of the engine apart and broke the propeller in several pieces. Some section of the broken propeller struck the right side of the fusilage at the radio operator's position and tore a hole in it about four and one-half feet long and one foot wide. Within a few seconds after the explosion the airplane dropped out of formation and headed downward.
Two crew members survived and were taken prisoner. Eight men were killed. They were initially buried at the POW cemetery of Achmer airbase.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1826-1945, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com, www.fold3.com
Photo source: www.ancestry.com - University of Wisconsin yearbook, 1940, www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet