Name:
Wallace J. Van Wirt
Rank:
Staff Sergeant
Serial Number:
37553934
Unit:
510th Bomber Squadron, 351st Bomb Group, Heavy
Date of Death:
1944-09-08
State:
Minnesota
Cemetery:
Plot:
Row:
Grave:
Decoration:
Purple Heart
Comments:
SSgt Wallace J. Van Wirt, radio operator of the B-17 42-31560 “Hot Rocks”, took off from station 110 in Polebrook, Northamptonshire, UK on a bombing mission over Ludwigschafen, Germany. Three of their engines failed, causing them to lose altitude. A flak hit on the fuselage prompted the crew to bail out, but it was aborted by the plane’s mid-air explosion, killing three crewmen, including SSgt Van Wirt.