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Submit- Full
name
BOWERS, Joe Paul - Date of
birth
15 March 1925 -
Age
19 - Place of
birth
Roswell, Chaves County, New Mexico -
Hometown
Eddy County, New Mexico
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-711120 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
715th Bombardment Squadron,
448th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
21 November 1944 - Place of
death
Ruegen Islands, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| C | 19 | 11 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Clarence E. Bowers (father)
Bonnie (Kroeger) Bowers (mother)
Earlene Bowers (sister)
Loma C. Bowers (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
41-28925 -
Data
Type: B-24H
Nickname: Little Joe
Destination: Hamburg, Germany
Mission: Bombing Industrial Target
MACR: 10407
More information
Statement from Sgt Herbert C. Dennis Jr.:"On 21 November 1944, we bombed Hamburg. Going over the target, number one and two engines were damaged by flak. Lt Bowers, Pilot, consulted with crew and decided to go to Sweden. Approximately over the Virgin Islands, a ME 262 hit us, and the ship was set on fire and exploded. I was blown clear and after several minutes pulled my ripcord and my parachute opened. I landed on the Virgin Islands. I saw no other chutes open and saw none of the crew after that. Next day, German Medical Officer said five bodies had been found in the ship. He did not say who they were. That is all the information I can give."
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.ancestry.com - 1940 census
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Arie-Jan van Hees, Pilot Class Book 44-B, Lubbock, Texas.