Gerard Francis Brown was born at Jamaica, Queens County, New York on April 25, 1923. His parents were Frank W. Brown (abt 1888 – 5 Apr 1961) and Elizabeth Brown (abt 1888 – abt Jun 1923), who were born in New York. His mother gave him to Mrs. Elizabeth Backofen when he was six weeks old, and passed away soon after that. He was raised by his foster parents, Edward J. Backofen (abt 1887 – unk) and Elizabeth (Vanden Wyngaard) Backofen (31 Dec 1894 – Jan 1984). The Backofens had a son, Joseph E. Backofen (6 Feb 1920 – Aug 1987). Gerard Brown lived with his foster family at 87-84 139th Street, Jamaica 2, Queens, Long Island, New York. He registered for the draft at Jamaica, New York on June 30, 1942. At that time he was 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighed 148 pounds, and had gray eyes and brown hair. He was employed by Standard Vacuum Oil Company at 26 Broadway in New York City. He enlisted in the U.S. Army, and began his active duty service on February 8, 1943.

He went first to Miami Beach, Florida for basic training. From March to August 1943 he was assigned to Scott Field, Illinois, where he completed Army Air Forces radio operator training. From August to September 1943 he trained in aerial gunnery at Tyndall Field in Panama City, Florida. His next stop was the Army Air Base at Camp Kearns near Salt Lake City, Utah, where he was assigned as radio operator on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Joseph A. Duncan. The Duncan crew was assigned to the 839th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico. There they completed B-24 crew training and deployed with the Group to England in March 1944. There is a photo of the Joseph A. Duncan crew that was taken during training in the States. They flew B-24H 42-52591 from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Lavenham, England via the southern Atlantic ferry route—a journey of about 10,000 miles—and arrived in England 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. On May 11, 1944, the Duncan crew flew B-24H 41-29481 on a mission to bomb the marshalling yards at Chaumont, France. The aircraft was severely damaged by flak as the formation flew over Chateaudun, France. Lt Duncan managed to get back to England, but the aircraft caught fire as it reached the English coast. Gerard Brown and his nine crewmates bailed out safely. Before he bailed out, Lt Duncan attempted to head the aircraft out to sea, but it turned and crashed in the village of Chichester.

In July 1944 the 487th Bomb Group transitioned to flying the B-17 'Flying Fortress'. On August 25, 1944, the Duncan crew took off from Lavenham Airfield in B-17G 43-37980, the deputy lead aircraft of the Lead Squadron, on a mission to bomb the German airfield at Rechlin, Germany. Captain Winston S. Rogers flew in the copilot position as Air Leader. Copilot Lt James Hood Jr moved to the tail gunner position as Officer Tail Gunner and formation observer, as was the custom. T/Sgt Gerard Brown and eight of his crew mates were killed in action when the aircraft was hit by flak just after bombs away over Rechlin, Germany. The right outer wing was lost, and the burning aircraft went into a spin, exploded, and crashed in Muritz Lake (Mόritzsee) near Boek, Germany, north of the target. Two crew members, 1/Lt Joseph Anderson Duncan and S/Sgt Monroe Stanley Wolyn, were blown clear and survived. Lt Hood's body was never found. He probably went to the bottom of Muritz Lake with the aircraft wreckage.

The body of T/Sgt Gerard Brown was recovered on the shore of Muritz Lake on September 20, 1944. His remains and those of seven of his crewmates were buried initially at the Retzow Cemetery in Retzow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, a short distance north of Rechlin Airfield. His remains were disinterred from Retzow Cemetery on July 17, 1947, moved to the U.S. Military Cemetery, Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium, and reinterred there in Plot AA, Row 11, Grave 255. After final confirmation of the identity of his remains, they were permanently reinterred at then renamed Ardennes American Cemetery, Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium on April 11, 1950. He is buried in Plot A, Row 33, Grave 51.

B-17G 43-37980 crew:
• Duncan, Joseph A – 1/Lt – Pilot – POW
• Rogers, Winston S – Capt – Air Leader – KIA
• Jones, Richard L – Capt – Pilotage Navigator – KIA
• Friedman, Ely N – 2/Lt – Navigator – KIA
• Dolan, James J – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• Henahan, Joseph W – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Brown, Gerard F – T/Sgt – Radio operator – KIA
• Everett, Lloyd E – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Brown, Rhodes L – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Wolyn, Monroe S – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
• Hood Jr, James – 2/Lt – Tail Gunner – MIA

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