|
Elmer John BOEHNKE
| |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Source : Doc Wilson (Ellen Marchese)
| |||||||
| NUMBER OF SERVICE | 37549911 | ||||||
| AGE | 20 yo | ||||||
| DATE OF BIRTH | 16 May 1924 Henry, Codington County, SOUTH DAKOTA | ||||||
| ENLISTMENT STATE | SOUTH DAKOTA | ||||||
| FAMILY |
Parents : John Gustav & Ella Augusta Ulbricht BOEHNKE Siblings : Lucille H, Arnold Gustav & Robert Laverne | ||||||
| RANK | Staff Sergeant | ||||||
| FONCTION | Mechanic/A | ||||||
| JOB BEFORE ENLISTEMENT | Apprentices to other trades |  | |||||
| DATE of ENLISTEMENT | 16 February 1943 Fort Snelling MINNESOTA | ||||||
| SQUADRON | 718th Bomber Squadron | ||||||
| GROUP | 449th Bomber Group, Heavy | ||||||
| ARMY | 15th US Air Force | ||||||
| DATE OF DEATH | 26 May 1944 |
Source : Andy | |||||
| STATUS | KIA | ||||||
| PLACE OF DEATH | Baie des Anges - Au large de Nice | ||||||
| DATA PLAN |
B-24 Liberator - type H-20-DT - s/n 41-28972 "High Life"
Macr : 5435 Take-off Grottaglie (Italy) Position indicated in the MACR: 43°37N/7°14E Crash observed by 2Lt Lorin E. Robinson/S/Sgt Martin J. Hart/S/Sgt Joseph Schindelman Shot down by flak (direct hit, open bomb bay) - Explosion in flight The plane broke in two and fell into the sea in flames at 10:18 a.m. | ||||||
| CEMETERY TEMPORARY |
CEMTERY TEMPORARY of Caucade, Nice (06) | ||||||
| CEMETERY | RHONE AMERICAN CEMETERY and MEMORIAL of Draguignan | ||||||
| GRAVE |
| ||||||
| DECORATION |
| ||||||
| |||||||
| STORY | |||||||
|
This operation was part of the Transportation Plan (in), plan of attack of the lines of communication, intended to prepare the landing in Normandy, stopped on March 25, 1944. It was a question of destroying railway infrastructures, in particular marshalling yards, in order to prevent the German army from transporting troops and equipment to western France. The method was that of the Americans: bombing by day, flying at high altitude, to avoid the DCA, this method being considered more precise than that of the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom, which consisted in bombing at night. Between 6 and 7 a.m., about 900 American planes of the 15th USAAF departed from three airfields in the Foggia region, in southern Italy: San Giovanni, Giulia and Stornara (Foggia Airfield Complex (en)). The bombardments took place between 10 and 11 am, under clear skies. The military objectives were strongly affected, but the inaccuracy of the bombardment at high altitude caused numerous civilian casualties. The planes returned to their base, with very few losses, between 2 and 3 p.m. The bombers used were Consolidated B-24 Liberators and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. They were escorted by five groups of North American P-51 Mustang and Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighters from the 306th Fighter Wing. | |||||||
|
The military air operation of May 26, 1944 carried out on Nice and Saint-Laurent-du-Var made a lasting impression in the Nice agglomeration by the extent of the destruction and human losses caused to the people of the Riviera. The operation is led by the 47th Bomb Wing of the 15th Air Force6. This unit has 143 B-24 Liberators: 35 B-24 for the 98th Bomber Group, 29 B-24 for the 376th Bomber Group, 40 B-24 for the 449th Bomber Group and 39 B-24 for the 450th Bomber Group6. The planes take off from several bases in southern Italy. The first three waves were aimed at destroying the Saint-Roch marshalling and freight yard to the northeast of Nice and the Michel establishments working for the German war effort. They consist of the 98th Bomber Group, 376th Bomber Group and 450th Bomber Group. | |||||||
|
B-24 Liberator - type H-20-DT - s/n 41-28972"High Life"
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2Lt | Gerald E | WARNER | Pilot | Dead | MIA - Tablets Cim Am Rhône Draguignan | O-691327 - AM/PH - Fils de Mme Vernice H. Warner - Vermillion, South Dakota |
| 2Lt | Frank E | STERNER | CoPilot | Dead | MIA - Tablets Cim Am Rhône Draguignan | O-1683531 - AM+3/PH - Fils de Mr Dewey J. Sterner - Muncy, Pennsylvania |
| 2Lt | Claude E Jr | SPYRES | Navigateur | Dead | MIA - Tablets Cim Am Rhône Draguignan | O-701331 - AM/PH - Fils de Mme Myrtyce M. Spyres - Little Rock, Arkansas |
| 2Lt | Harold W | TANNER | Bomber | Dead | MIA - Tablets Cim Am Rhône Draguignan | O-699537 - AM/PH - Fils de Mme Clementine Tanner - Rodessa, Louisiana |
| S/Sgt | Robert C | SLUSHER | Mechanic/M | Dead | MIA - Tablets Cim Am Rhône Draguignan | 35099211 - AM/PH - Fils de Mme Florence M. Slusher - Peru, Indiana |
| S/Sgt | Elmer J BOEHNKE | Mechanic/A | Dead | Cim Am Rhône Draguignan | 37549911 - PH - Fils de Mme Ella Boenhke - Henry, South Dakota - Initialement inhumé au Cim de Caucade, Nice (06) | |
| Sgt | Howard R | JOHNSON | Radio/M | Dead | MIA - Tablets Cim Am Rhône Draguignan | 32730633 - Fils de Mme Marthe Dietrich - Niagara Falls, New York |
| Cpl | Lawrence N | MERRIFIELD | Radio/A | Dead | MIA - Tablets Cim Am Rhône Draguignan | 37652254 - AM/PH - Fils de Mme Dorothy E. Merrifield - Worthington, Minnesota |
| T/Sgt | Robert W | MILLER | Gunner | Dead | MIA - Tablets Cim Am Rhône Draguignan | 20601580 - AM/PH - Fils de Mme Grace F. Miller - Dixon, Illinois |
| Cpl | Charles F | SMITH | Gunner | Dead | MIA - Tablets Cim Am Rhône Draguignan | 16125346 -AM/PH - Fils de Mr Frank Smeith - Chicago, Illinois |
 |
||||||
| SOURCE INFORMATION & SOURCE PHOTO | Francecrashes39-45.net - Findagrave.com - Abmc.gov - Aad.archives.gov - Wikipedia.org |
|---|---|
| PROGRAMMER | Eric, Henri, Garrett, Clive, Frédéric & Renaud |