George Francis Benoodt was born at Chicago, Cook County, Illinois on February 23, 1922. He was one of seven children of Fred Cyril Benoodt (24 May 1882 – 5 May 1930), who was born at Amsterdam, The Netherlands and immigrated to America about 1895; and Agnes Madeline (Zemajda) Benoodt (5 Jul 1893 – 8 Feb 1964), who was was born at Scranton, Pennsylvania. His parents married at Forest Park (Chicago), Cook County, Illinois on September 10, 1918. At that time the family lived at 124 South Honore Street, Chicago, Illinois, and his father was a truck driver. By December 1920 the family lived at Downer's Grove, York Township, DuPage County, Illinois, where his father was an automobile repairman.
After his father died in May 1930, he lived with his brothers and sisters at the Illinois Masonic Children's Home in La Grange, Cook County, Illinois, so that his mother could work. She took the train every weekend to see her children. He lived there through at least 1940. He graduated from Lyons Township High School in La Grange in 1940. He registered for the draft at Chicago on June 27, 1942. He was 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighed 185 pounds, and had blue eyes and brown hair. At that time he resided at 1447 West Madison Street in Chicago and was employed by Lindberg Engineering Company.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army and entered active service on January 5, 1944. He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training at Las Vegas, Nevada, and was assigned to the crew of Lt Henry M. Shepard for B-17 operational training at Ardmore, Oklahoma. He married while he was at Ardmore. His wife was Caroline Catherine (Gura) Benoodt (abt Sep 1926 – unk), who was born at Gary, Indiana and resided at Chicago, Illinois. They married on August 3, 1944. George Benoodt's home of record was 133 West 110th Place, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, his wife's address in 1944.
Lt Shepard's crew was assigned to the 839th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 by October 26, 1944, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.
After arrival in England, Sgt Benoodt trained to become a rated flight engineer. On December 31, 1944, the 487th Bomb Group dispatched thirty-one B-17s on a mission to bomb an oil refinery in the southern dock area of Hamburg, Germany. This was Sgt Benoodt's first combat mission. He flew as flight engineer with the crew of Lt Robert G. Kraker aboard B-17G 43-38278 in the 839th Bomb Squadron. He was killed in action when he was struck in the head by flak during the bomb run over Hamburg. His body was returned to Lavenham after the mission, and was buried at Cambridge American Cemetery, UK. His remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Mount Auburn Memorial Park in Berwyn (now Stickney), Cook County, Illinois on January 4, 1949.
Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com