Louis Swiridow was born at Coraopolis, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania on June 26, 1920. His father was John Swiridow (abt 1890 – Jan 1969), who was born at Smolensk, Russia, and immigrated to the United States about 1915. (His father's WWII draft registration says born Dec 1888; and Social Security Death Index says born 10 Dec 1888.) His mother was Anna M. (Wislocky) Swiridow (1900 – 1950), who was born in Hungary, and immigrated to the United States about 1906. His parents married about 1918. He had two younger brothers: John Swiridow Jr (2 Jun 1922 – Mar 1967) and Theodore Swiridow (29 Aug 1931 – 29 Mar 1998). The family lived at Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, where his father was a molder at a steel foundry, and later a farmer.
He completed four years of high school and worked as an unskilled steel molder. He was single, without dependents, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on January 5, 1942. His home of record was Rural Delivery #2, Coraopolis, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
He completed Army Air Forces Navigation training, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant on November 13, 1943. He was then assigned as navigator on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Fulvio R. 'Ray' Tintary in the 839th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group. The Tintary crew completed B-24 crew training with the 487th Bomb Group at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico, and deployed with the Group to England in March 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 arrival in England, Lt Swiridow was transferred to the crew of Lt Floyd Schwab in the 839th Bomb Squadron.
On June 7, 1944, Lt Schwab's crew flew B-24H 42-52624 'BoxCar' on the 487th Bomb Group mission to bomb a tactical target at Angers, France, in support of the Normandy Invasion. Clouds obscured the target and the Lead Squadron bombed an alternate target, the Loire River bridge at Montjean, France, about 20 miles west of Angers. The Schwab crew flew in the High Squadron and bombed a railroad marshalling yard at Chateaubriant, France, about 50 miles northwest of Angers. Lt Swiridow and six of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by flak near Rennes, France on the return from the mission. The aircraft broke up and crashed at La Rabine, just west of Bruz, France. Three men survived and became prisoners of war.
The dead were buried at the civilian cemetery in Bruz, France. Lt Swiridow's remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia in 1950.
The Breton Air Memorial Association and the Lacy-Davis Foundation dedicated a monument to the Floyd Schwab crew on June 9, 2012 in Bruz, France.
B-24H 42-52624 crew:
• Schwab, Floyd – 2/Lt – Pilot – POW
• Van Kirk, Norman C – 2/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Swiridow, Louis – 2/Lt – Navigator – KIA
• Smith, Cecil J – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• Olsen, August M Jr – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Gross, Billy D – T/Sgt – Engineer – POW
• Marxmiller, Robert K – S/Sgt – Ball Turret – KIA
• Siegel, Melvin – S/Sgt – Tail Turret – POW
• Coe, Seymour – Sgt – Nose Turret – KIA
• Walker, Clarence E – S/Sgt – Upper Turret – KIA
Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com