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Submit- Full
name
LITTON, Rufus C - Date of
birth
23 December 1920 -
Age
22 - Place of
birth
Jefferson County, Kentucky -
Hometown
Shelby County, Kentucky
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
15067768 -
Rank
Sergeant -
Function
Left Waist Gunner -
Unit
359th Bombardment Squadron,
303rd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
3 January 1943 - Place of
death
English Channel, off the Belgian coast
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| D | 4 | 54 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Rufus J. Litton (father)
Minnie (Reynolds) Litton (mother)
Clarence Litton (brother)
William Litton (brother)
Christine McIntire (half-sister)
Katherine McIntire (half-sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
41-24608 -
Data
Type: B-17F
Nickname: Yahudi aka Green Hornet
Destination: St Nazaire, France
Mission: Bombing of the U-boat base
More information
Rufus Litton was a clerk.He joined the Air Corps of the Regular Army on 4 September 1941.
The airplane was shot down by flak and ditched. Three crew members survived and were taken prisoner. Seven men were killed. Only the remains of Sgt Litton were recovered. The other deceased crew members are commemorated at the Walls of the Missing at Cambridge Cemetery and Memorial.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Kathy McDermott, www.303rdbgh.com, The Courier-Journal - 15 June 1929, ancestry.com - Indiana Marriages / 1930/1940 census, Kentucky Birth Index, The Shelby Sentinel - 19 February 1943
Photo source: Michel Beckers