Joseph E FEISTL

Single

Son of Mr. and Mrs. Louis FEISTL

416^th Bomb Group (L)

Bonnières  PAS DE CALAIS 

Douglas A-20 Havoc (G-30-DO) - serial 43-9707

MACR 4095 

Mission: Site de V1 à Noball XI/A/85

Take-off: Station 170 de Wethersfield

 Abattu par un coup direct de la flak dans la section tourelle du fuselage - Explose en vol - 11h42

Cemtery Temporary of Saint André N°3572

Story of Cemetery temporary

Map of Normandy American Cemetery

Joseph lives in Larksville, Pennsylvania, son of Louis and Grace Feistl he has an older sister and a younger brother. After leaving High School, Joseph enlisted in the Air Corps in 1940. He joined Fort Slocum where he followed his training, after which he was posted to Panama in the canal area for two years, but at the Entered the war of the United States it is transferred to the Netherlands Antilles. He is decorated with the Air Medal during a patrol against submarines.

The United States landed in Africa in November 1942 and the situation changes, Joseph is moved to Dakar, Tunis and Alger where he stays until July 1943 and gets his first leave after three and a half years of service !

He stayed in Larksville and joined the 416th Bomb Group based at Laurel Army Airfield in Mississippi in November 1943, the unit was equipped with B-25 bombers, he remained on site until January 1944 and on February 1 the unit was transferred to Station 170 at Wethersfield, Essex, where she was assigned to the 9th US Air Force and was one of the first units to receive Douglas A-20 Havoc bombers. In the first weeks the crews carry out training missions to adapt to the changes between the two types of bombers. From March 1944, the missions are targeted at V1 sites in the north of France.

Joseph begins on March 4, 1944 on mission, this is the second mission of the 416th Bomb Group.

Joseph performs five other missions between the months of March and April.

On March 19, during his third mission, he was wounded without any gravity by projectiles reaching his bomber.

April 23 as the day rises Joseph attends the briefing of his new mission. This is the bombing of a site of V1 "Noball (XI / A / 85)" in the Pas-de-Calais.

37 bombers are assigned to the mission, ie 32 A-20G and 5 A-20J.

	It is 10:26, the bombers take off and train over the Essex; As the French coast approaches, the Flak is put on alert, it is 11:42 am when the formation is on target, but Joseph's bomber is hit in the fuselage turret by a direct blow from the Flak.
The bomber explodes and dislocates leaving no hope for the three crew members.		It is the first aircraft of the Group to break in two.
The result of the bombing of this mission will be poor, indeed the other crews seeing bombs fell thought it was the leading aircraft dropping and giving the signal, but it was the bombs of the bomber of Joseph falling after having broken ... The 416th Bomb Group will perform 285 combat missions recorded until May 3, 1945. The unit will receive the Distinguished Unit Citation.
Headstone Inscription		1930 Census
Joseph FEISTL and the press Military file of Joseph FEISTL