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name
MACINSKY, Michael - Date of
birth
23 November 1920 -
Age
22 - Place of
birth
Mudfork, Logan County, West Virginia -
Hometown
Manhattan, New York County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
32444513 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Left Waist Gunner -
Unit
422nd Bombardment Squadron,
305th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
29 May 1943 - Place of
death
Saint Nazaire, France
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| C | 25 | 13 |
Immediate family
-
Members
John Macinsky Sr. (father)
Helen Macinsky (mother)
John Macinsky Jr. (brother)
Mary Macinsky (sister)
Catherine (Katie) Macinsky (sister)
Alex Macinsky (brother)
Agnes Macinsky (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-29792 -
Data
Type: B-17F
Destination: Saint Nazaire, France
Mission: Bombing of the U-boat base
More information
S/Sgt Michael Macinsky joined his unit on 4 May 1943 and was killed on his first mission. The B-17 was hit by flak and exploded. Only Tail Gunner R. Allaby survived and was taken prisoner for the rest of the war. According to his statement due to flak, the aircraft went into a spin with the left wing off at the out-board engine.S/Sgt Michael Macinsky was first buried as an unknown soldier at La Baule sur Mer, France by the Germans. On 28 September 1945, he was reburied, still as an unknown soldier, at St. James Cemetery, France. Later his remains were transferred to the Identification Center at Neupré, Belgium for examination. Not earlier than in 1950, he got his final resting place at the Americain Military Cemetery Ardennes.
At Saint-Nazaire a monument was raised to honor the crew.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Michael A. Macinsky (nephew), www.aerosteles.net, www.ancestry.com, http://francecrashes39-45.net
Photo source: www.aerosteles.net, Raf Dyckmans