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Personal info

Full name
BORTH, Bruce Wallace
Date of birth
27 February 1919
Age
25
Place of birth
Buffalo, Erie County, New York
Hometown
Tonawanda, Erie County, New York

Military service

Service number
O-887787
Rank
Second Lieutenant
Function
Co-Pilot
Unit
310th Squadron,
315th Troop Carrier Group
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal

Death

Status
Killed in Action
Date of death
21 September 1944
Place of death
In a meadow at the Reethsestraat/Oude Rijksweg
Buurschap Reeth (community of Elst), The Netherlands

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
Plot Row Grave
G 4 24

Immediate family

Members
Robert Borth (father)
Mildred Borth (mother)
Robert Borth (brother)

Plane data

Serial number
43-15612
Data
Type: C-47A
Nickname: Sea-Ration
Destination: Drop zone K, Driel, the Netherlands
Mission: Paratrooper drop
MACR: 10284

More information

2nd Lt Bruce W. Borth graduated from South Park High School.

He served in Hawaii for four years and had participated in the North African, Sicilian and French campaigns.

Statement of Capt Norman A. Greene:
"I was flying in a C-47 airplane No. 42-93085 at 17.21 hrs. 1 September 1944. I noticed that airplane no. 43-15612 was in distress. He was hit just before he got to Elst. After crossing the Waal he was turning towards Nijmegen at 50 to 100 feet going into a crash landing not on fire or the airplane was out of control."

The airplane carried paratroopers of the 1st or 2nd Battalion of the Polish 1st Para Brigade and was shot down after dropping the paratroopers.

The entire crew was killed. Right after the crash, their bodies were buried at the crash site by glider pilots.

Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Peter Schouteten, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - 1920 Census, www.fold3.com - MACR

Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Newspaper clipping