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name
GILLESPIE, Gorace James - Date of
birth
15 October 1919 -
Age
24 - Place of
birth
Davis, Murray County, Oklahoma -
Hometown
Garvin County, Oklahoma
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
18052560 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Engineer/Top Turret Gunner -
Unit
748th Bombardment Squadron,
457th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
6 March 1944 - Place of
death
Between Magdeburg and Berlin, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| C | 23 | 21 |
Immediate family
-
Members
James L. Gillespie (father)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-31627 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Berlin, Germany
MACR: 3197
More information
Lt Eugene Whelan, who was flying 42-31595 in the high box, was hit by an ME-109 on the way to the target. The fighter, out of control, collided with Lt Whelan's plane. The plane exploded and parts of his plane fell onto the low box causing the plane of Lt Roy Grave, flying 42-31627, to crash. The only survivor was the tail gunner, Sgt Eldon Williams, who became a POW.
Source of information: Michel Beckers, Terry Hirsch, www.findagrave.com, www.ancestry.com - U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: Jac Engels