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name
OBERSTEIN, Lawrence - Date of
birth
28 February 1922 -
Age
22 - Place of
birth
Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan -
Hometown
Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-709439 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Navigator -
Unit
749th Bombardment Squadron,
457th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Finding of Death - Date of
death
27 May 1944 - Place of
death
Near Kaiserslautern, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Lorraine - Tablets of the Missing
Immediate family
-
Members
Benjamin Oberstein (father)
Sophie (Schwartz) Oberstein (mother)
Harold Oberstein (brother)
Marvin Oberstein (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-97460 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: Delayed Lady
Destination: Ludwigshafen, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the marshalling yards
MACR: 5295
More information
2nd Lt Lawrence Oberstein attended college before he joined the Regular Army in Detroit, Michigan on 27 October 1942.Sgt Barnett Feldman:
Lt Dee, who was piloting ship 42-97460, caught up with the ship the undersigned was in 42-31618 when the formation was about half way home. It was noticed that his bomb-bay doors were open and that he had a hard time holding his air speed and altitude. Suddenly he made about a 40grade turn to the left and started off by himself, losing altitude all the time. About five minutes later he was caught in the middle of a heavy flak barrage. His altitude at that time was about 12,000 to 14,000 feet. The last we saw of him was that he was going down fairly fast but under control.
He was wounded in aircraft by 20mm. Seen falling through air with chute trailing, and not blossomed out.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men / 1940 Census, www.fold3.com – MACR, www.findagrave.com – Albert Ledoux / Carolyn Deloach
Photo source: www.findagrave.com – Dave Hansen, www.ancestry.com – U.S. School Yearbooks Detroit Michigan