Eustis Cyril E.

Monuments

The Monument to the Aviation Martyrs in the War of Resistance Against Japan

Name:

Cyril E. Eustis

Rank:

Second Lieutenant

Serial Number:

O-674743

Unit:

769th Bomber Squadron, 462nd Bomber Group, Very Heavy

Date of Death:

1944-09-16

State:

North Dakota

Cemetery:

Manila American Cemetery, Taguig, Philippines

Plot:

Walls of the Missing

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Comments:

Cyril E. Eustis entered the military service in North Dakota. He served in the 462nd Bomb Group, 58th Bomb Wing, XX Bomber Command as a Second Lieutenant and Navigator on the C-109 #42-51887.

On September 16, 1944, the plane took off from Kalaikunda, India heading for Chengdu over the Himalayan Mountains. After takeoff, the base lost contact with the airplane.The crash investigation found that once the plane cleared Kalaikunda it was considered lost until reported found by natives in the high mountainous area between India and China at 29 degrees 35 minutes North, 103 degrees 05 minutes East. Wreckage was scattered over a 3-square mile area. Personnel effects found for one of the crew men identified the aircraft. Subsequent research pinpointed the crash site as Mt. Omei. Four other men perished in the crash.

Cyril is commemorated on the Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Taguig City, Philippines. He was one of over 2000 Americans who lost their lives defending China from their Japanese invaders from 1941-1945. He is commemorated on the The Monument to the Aviation Martyrs in the War of Resistance Against Japan in Nanjing, China.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov