Ernest Eugene McCoy was born in Roane County, Tennessee about April 1918. His parents were James Elias McCoy (2 Aug 1870 – 2 Mar 1951) and Chimera (Howard) McCoy (21 Dec 1887 – 22 Jan 1981), who were born in Tennessee. He had at least five siblings: Myrtle McCoy (abt 1896 – unk), Cecil McCoy (abt 1908 – unk), Howard Berry McCoy (5 Oct 1908 – 19 Oct 1970), Dorothy Ellen (McCoy) Rawlston (6 Mar 1915 – 24 Oct 1997), and Neal W. McCoy (abt 1921 – unk). In 1930 the family lived at Harriman, Roane County, Tennessee, and his father was a steam railroad mechanic.

He completed four years of high school. In 1940 he was single and lived in the household of his brother-in-law George Rawlston in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he worked as a clerk in a retail grocery. He enlisted in the U.S. Army about 1942. His wife was Maxine Evalyne McCoy; they had two daughters. In 1944 his wife lived in Seiling, Oklahoma.

He completed Army Air Forces pilot training in Class 43-J, and received his wings and commission on November 3, 1943. He was then assigned as copilot on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Doyle E. Simons. In December 1943 the Simons crew began B-24 crew training at Davis-Monthan Field in Tucson, Arizona. In January 1944 the crew was assigned to the 838th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico. There they completed B-24 combat crew training, and deployed with the Group to England in March 1944. The crew flew B-24H 41-29479 'The Big Bad Wolf' from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Lavenham, England via the southern Atlantic ferry route—a journey of about 10,000 miles—and arrived at Lavenham by mid-April 1944.

The 487th Bomb Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. After the Group arrived in England, Lt Simons was grounded with appendicitis, and was replaced as First Pilot by 2/Lt Lorin D. McCleary Jr.

On May 11, 1944, the McCleary crew took off from Lavenham in B-24H 42-52444 on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Chaumont, France. The secondary target was Troyes. The 487th Bomb Group formation never reached the target. Navigational error resulted in the formation flying over accurate German flak guns guarding the airfield at Chateaudun, France. Lt McCoy and eight of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by flak over Chateaudun. The aircraft took a direct flak hit in the nose and flight deck and started burning at the engines. It went into a dive, exploded in the air, and crashed 3 kilometers east of Varize, France, near Bazoches-en-Dunois. One man, Staff Sergeant Harold E. Owens, survived. He wrote: "At approximately 1145 we were hit by flak in the nose, which resulted in the death of Lt Victor Kramer, navigator, Sgt Paul Churm, top turret gunner, and S/Sgt Eugene McKee, radio operator. The plane immediately burst into flames, we were flying at an altitude of approximately 11,000 feet, a few seconds later the plane started into a dive, and exploded in mid air, with the result that I was blown clear of the plane. I managed to pull my ripcord and landed eight miles north of Chateaudun, France. I made a safe landing and at a distance of one quarter of a mile I saw the plane completely wrecked and on fire. I was the only member of the crew who parachuted to safety. I did not go near the plane because I knew the bombs had not exploded. I hid in the woods and about five minutes later the bombs exploded."

The dead were recovered by German troops, who buried them at the Grand Cimetiθre in Orleans, France. After the war, Lt McCoy's remains were reinterred at Epinal American Cemetery, France.

B-24H 42-52444 crew:
• McCleary, Lorin D – 2/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• McCoy, Ernest E – 2/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Kramer, Victor S – 2/Lt – Navigator – KIA
• Perry, Joseph D – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• Owens, Harold E – S/Sgt – Engineer – POW
• McKee, Eugene – S/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Frey, Arthur C – Sgt – Nose Turret – KIA
• Churm, Paul K – Sgt – Top Turret – KIA
• Barboza, Clemente M – Sgt – Ball Turret – KIA
• Knapp, Dale L – Sgt – Tail Turret – KIA

Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov