Missing information?
Do you have any additional information you would like to share about a soldier?
Submit- Full
name
MODLIN, Richard E - Date of
birth
31 October 1922 -
Age
21 - Place of
birth
Osage County, Oklahoma -
Hometown
Monterey County, California
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
19121450 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Nose Gunner -
Unit
578th Bombardment Squadron,
392nd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
11 September 1944 - Place of
death
At the edge of the woods 400 meters northwest of the village of Winnen, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| N | 22 | 5 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Elbridge L. Modlin (father)
Agatha I. (Murphy) Modlin (mother)
James H. Modlin (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-7466 -
Data
Type: B-24H
Nickname: Ford's Folly
Destination: Hannover, Germany
Mission: Bombing of an engine factory
MACR: 8850
More information
S/Sgt Ricard E. Modlin attended college. He joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in the Presidio of Monterey, California on 17 August 1942.After the war, a surviving crew member, S/Sgt Odell F. Dobson, gave the following statement: "Going to the target we were attacked by enemy fighters (Me-109s). Number three (3) engine was hit and set afire; fire broke out in the bomb bay and we lost the formation as a result of these damages. The airplane went into a shallow dive and the crew prepared to bail out. Before this could be accomplished, however, the airplane started to spin and crashed."
Two crew members survived and were taken prisoner. Eight were killed. The bodies of two crew members were found about 20 meters from the wreckage and an unknown number of remains were found in the wreckage itself. All were buried by a German army team in the cemetery at Winnen.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.b24.net, www.ancestry.com - 1940 Census
Photo source: 392nd Bomb Group, Peter Schouteten