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Personal info

Full name
COMER, Roger Drake
Date of birth
14 November 1916
Age
27
Place of birth
Saint Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota
Hometown
Ramsey County, Minnesota

Military service

Service number
O-700353
Rank
Second Lieutenant
Function
Co-Pilot
Unit
600th Bombardment Squadron,
398th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Purple Heart

Death

Status
Killed in Action
Date of death
19 May 1944
Place of death
Near Ruednitz, Germany

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
Plot Row Grave
C 12 16

Immediate family

Members
Elmer Comer (father)
Mabel Comer (mother)
John Comer (brother)
James Comer (brother)
Janet Comer (wife)

Plane data

Serial number
42-97339
Data
Type: B-17G
Target: Berlin, Germany
MACR: 4937

More information

Eyewitness:
About 1345 to 1400 while we where flying at 26000 ft, flak being heavy it seems that Lt O’Neal’s plane was hit by flak on number three engine. I saw the number three engine on fire. He slid and put cut the fire, and dropped to about 15000ft, the ship went in a nose dive. It came out of the dive, flew level for about a minute, and then went in a flat spin; then another dive. A ball of fire came off the right wing by no three engine. The last I saw of the ship of the ship it went thru a cloud formation.

Source of information: Michel Beckers, Terry Hirsch, WWII Draft Card, 1930 US Census

Photo source: Jac Engels, Michel Beckers/Geoff Rice-398th web team