Missing information?
Do you have any additional information you would like to share about a soldier?
Submit- Full
name
SLATER, John William "Jack" - Date of
birth
1923 -
Age
unknown - Place of
birth
Niwot, Boulder County, Colorado -
Hometown
Niwot, Boulder County, Colorado
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-804745 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Co-Pilot -
Unit
551st Bombardment Squadron,
385th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
5 December 1943 - Place of
death
Bay of Biscay, near Bordeaux, France
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 32 | 30 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Harry A. Slater (father)
Anna D. (Webb) Slater (mother)
Alta M. Slater (sister)
James R. Slater (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-3397 -
Data
Type: B-17F
Nickname: Fighting Cock
Destination: Bordeaux, France
Mission: Bombing of the airfield
MACR: 1337
More information
2nd Lt John W. Slater graduated from Boulder High School in 1939 and attended the University of Colorado.He enlisted in August 1942 and was sent overseas in October 1943.
The airplane was last seen with #3 engine on fire heading back into France with two enemy fighters following.
It ditched into the Bay of Biscay, off the coast of Bordeaux.
Three crew members survived and were taken prisoner, while seven men were killed.
Lt Slater was last seen in a dinghy, drifting out of sight. His body was found the same day by a German Air Sea Rescue unit. Surviving crew members stated that they were fired upon by a German shore patrol while they were in their dinghies and several men were killed that way. They assume that Lt Slater was one of the casualties.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.fold3.com, www.ancestry.com
Photo Source: www.findagrave.com, Peter Schouteten, www.ancestry.com - PatHartley 1947, Boulder High School 1939, www.fold3.com