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name
CALLAGHAN, Frank J - Date of
birth
7 March 1914 -
Age
30 - Place of
birth
Denver, Denver County, Colorado -
Hometown
Denver County, Colorado
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
39259443 -
Rank
Technical Sergeant -
Function
Engineer -
Unit
836th Bombardment Squadron,
487th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
24 December 1944 - Place of
death
Rue de Presseux
Fraiture, Belgium
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Henri-Chapelle
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 12 | 44 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Cornelius M. Callaghan (father)
Catherine A. (Munday) Callaghan (mother)
Cornelia M. (Catlett) Callaghan (sister)
Marguerite Callaghan (sister)
Daniel P. Callaghan (twin brother)
James T. Callaghan (brother)
Rosemary Callaghan (sister)
John M. Callaghan (brother)
Dorothy Callaghan (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-102497 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: Flack Hack
Destination: Babenhausen, Germany
Mission: Operational
MACR: 12177
More information
The plane never reached the target and was last sighted in formation at 5031N-0550E (Belgium, NE of Durbuy). Shortly after, it was attacked twice by Luftwaffe Fighters. Engines #3 and #4 were knocked out and the plane caught fire. The crew abandoned their bomber after which it crashed at 12.39 hours in the village of Fraiture (a few Km NE of Comblain-au-Pont, Belgium)Six crew members parachuted over Belgium in friendly territory (Ball Turret Gunner got injured) and returned. Three men died in the crash.
His brother James was killed aboard the USS Arizona when Pearl Harbor was bombed on 7 December 1941.
Source of information: Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.487thbg.org, www.fold3.com, http://paul.rutgers.edu, www.ancestry.com - U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, www.findagrave.com - Paul Webber
Photo source: Rik Verhelle, www.findagrave.com, Des Philippet