Vernon G. Niezgocki was born in 1923 in Minnesota. He resided in Washington County, Minnesota prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on October 30, 1942 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Plasterer and also as Single, without dependents. He served as a Staff Sergeant and a Gunner on the B-17G #42-102422, 816th Bomber Squadron, 483rd Bomber Group, U.S. Air Force during World War II.

B-17G #42-102422 took off from Sterparone, Italy on July 18, 1944 on a bombing mission over Memmingen, Germany. Prior to "bombs away" they, along with 6 other B-17's, were attacked by an overwhelming number of German fighter aircraft. B-17G #42-102422, along with other B-17's, were shot down and crashed near Memmingen. The entire crew, except for S/Sgt. Jaski, was lost in this crash. He is now buried in the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial, Saint-Avold, Departement de la Moselle, Lorraine, France.

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