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Personal info

Full name
COGSWELL, Fred Melville Jr
Date of birth
23 May 1916
Age
28
Place of birth
Holbrook, Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Hometown
Essex County, Massachusetts

Military service

Service number
31201011
Rank
Sergeant
Function
Ball Turret Gunner
Unit
751st Bombardment Squadron,
457th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster

Death

Status
Killed in Action
Date of death
28 September 1944
Place of death
Dorstadt, Germany

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
Plot Row Grave
F 17 24

Immediate family

Members
Fred M. Cogswell (father)
Margaret G. (De Coster) Cogswell (mother)
Margaret A. Cogswell (sister)
Loring D. Cogswell (brother)

Plane data

Serial number
43-37518
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: Gini
Destination: Magdeburg
Mission: Bombing of the Krupp-Grusonwerke armaments industry
MACR: 9768

More information

Sgt Fred M. Cogswell Jr. enlisted in Boston, Massachusetts, on 8 September 1942.

The plane was hit by fighters just moments after turning on the IP. He salvoed his bombs and with a fire near #3 engine, the plane went into a dive. No parachutes were seen. The attack lasted 13 minutes. There were about 50 ME-109s and FW-190s that hit from below at six and nine o'clock. The damage was done by 30 mm cannon shells and this plane, along with four others in the Squadron, left the formation and crashed in Germany.

All nine crew members were killed.

Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, Homepage - The 457th Bomb Group (H) Association (457thbombgroupassoc.org), Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988; 1940 US Federal Census

Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Homepage - The 457th Bomb Group (H) Association (457thbombgroupassoc.org)