Willard M. Christensen

CHRISTENSEN, Willard Melvin Servicenumber: 37094312 Age: 24 Born: 17 March 1919, Cavalier County, North Dakota Hometown: Parsons, Labette County, Kansas Family: Albert Christensen (father) Agnes J. Christensen (mother) Fred Christensen (brother) Bert Christensen (brother) Teresa Christensen (sister) Blanche Christensen (sister) Ole Christensen (brother) Alton Christensen (brother) Manley Christensen (brother) Buelah Christensen (sister) Rank: Staff Sergeant Function: Tail Gunner Regiment: - Battalion: - Division €“ Transport: - Company €“ Squadron: 331st Bomber Squadron Unit €“ Group: 94th Bomber Group, Heavy Plane data: (Serialnumber, MACR, etc.) Serialnumber: 42-31540 Type: B-17G Destination: Berlin, Germany Mission: Bombing of the city MACR: 4946 Date of death: 19 May 1944 Status: KIA Place of death: Berlin, Germany Spot: Oderbergerstrasse 38/39 Awards: Air Medal, Purple Heart Gravenumber: Walls of the Missing Cemetery: American War Cemetery Margraten Biography: - Other information: The plane had 10 crewmembers and 1 passenger, T/Sgt John B. Davis. The airplane was hit by a 1000 lb. bomb from an aircraft flying overhead in the High Squadron. The tail section of the aircraft was broken off and the aircraft went down in what appeared to be a straight nose dive. One wing was observed to fall off when the aircraft was about 13,000 feet. Two parachutes were observed. This accident occured directly over the target on signal of bombs away. The entire crew of 11 was killed and first buried at the POW Cemetery in Elsgrund-Döberitz between 24 and 31 May 1944. In June 1951 an investigation was conducted to find several American deceased at the grounds where the POW Cemetery of Döbertiz was situated. The former caretaker, however, stated that the Americans exhumed their remains in 1947, in 1948 the French and in 1949 the Italians, Germans and Russians completely exhumed the cemetery. This was done systematically, field by field, row by row. In late 1949 the former cemetery site was returned to its German owner. In 1951 it was planted with potatoes. The conclusion of the investigation was that when the cemetery finally was disinterred all remains left, were evacuated to Russian or German Honor cemeteries and buried in unmarked graves. Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Mireille Goedhart, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, Footnote, www.findagrave.com - kateb, www.ancestry.com - 1930 census / 1940 census, IDPF of Herald R. Boyd Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Mr. Kent Amoth