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name
PAYLEITNER, John Frank - Date of
birth
8 May 1923 -
Age
21 - Place of
birth
Manitowac, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin -
Hometown
Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-715313 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Co-Pilot -
Unit
526th Bombardment Squadron,
379th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
14 February 1945 - Place of
death
Belgium
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 16 | 3 |
Immediate family
-
Members
John W. Payleitner (father)
Lucille T. (Lindau) Payleitner (mother)
Paul L. Payleitner (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-8369 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Dresden, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the marshalling yards
More information
John Payleitner graduated from Cathedral High School in 1941. He also attended Butler University and was employed by the Lukas-Harold Corporation.He joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in La Fayette, Indiana on 1 September 1942 and was sent overseas in July 1944.
He was wounded on 19 September 1944 during a mission over Germany. He recuperated in a base hospital in England and returned to duty.
The aircraft was damaged over Kassel, either from flak or enemy fighters. It crashlanded in Belgium. Different records mention a location named "Belroux" or "Bolvoax" but locations with those names don't exist.
Four crew members were killed but the exact circumstances are not known. Since the aircraft made a crash landing, most likely the rest of the crew was unharmed. The airplane itself was recuperated and used again.
The incident happened in liberated territory and therefore no MACR was made up.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record/ Census, http://usaafdata.com, http://forum.12oclockhigh.net, www.newspapers.com - The Indianapolis Star, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: Bert-Jan Sengers, The Indianapolis News, Arie-Jan van Hees - Pilot 44-C Ellington Fd Texas