Charles R. Abplanalp was born on January 11, 1923 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the son of John Bernard Abplanalp and Anna M. Josefa Jerabek-Long Abplanalp. He served in the 509th Bomb Squadron, 351st Bomb Group as a Second Lieutenant during World War II. He was the Pilot on B17 #43-37854 "Torchy Tess" when he was Killed in Action on a mission to Switzerland. His plane was badly hit by flak over the target and radioed that he had lost three engines and was heading for Switzerland. Torchy Tess crash landed in Ermensee, Switzerland. Lt. Abplanalp was killed by a branch of a tree that smashed into the cockpit. He was temporarily buried in what was then the American Cemetery in Münsingen, Switzerland. His final resting place is in Acacia Park Cemetery and Mausoleum, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA.

Source of information: http://www.americanairmuseum.com, http://351st.org