Norman C. Van Kirk was born at Greenwich, Washington County, New York on May 22, 1922. His parents were Herbert Conant Van Kirk (1 Jan 1871 – 25 Oct 1954) and Margaret Rossman (Legg) Van Kirk (31 Oct 1877 – 22 Jun 1954), who were born in New York. His parents married at Glen Falls, New York on August 16, 1900. He had a sister, Margaret 'Peggy' Van Kirk (abt 1905 – unk), who was born in New York. In 1910 his parents lived at 26 Bleeker Street, Greenwich, Washington County, New York. By 1930 the family home was at 34 Church Street in Greenwich, New York. His father was an attorney and a New York Surrogate's Court judge.
He completed four years of high school, and registered for the draft at Greenwich, New York on June 30, 1942. He was 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighed 160 pounds, and had blue eyes and brown hair. At that time he was employed by Brideport Brass Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He worked as a chemist, assayer, or metallurgist and was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Albany, New York, on November 4, 1942.
He completed Army Air Forces pilot training in Class 43-J at Turner Field in Albany, Georgia, and received his wings and commission on November 3, 1943. He was initially assigned as copilot on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Peter J. Brown in the 839th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group. The Brown 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. During the deployment, Lt Van Kirk was transferred to the crew of Lt Floyd Schwab in the 839th Bomb Squadron. They flew B-24H 42-52624 overseas via the southern Atlantic ferry route 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 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 Van Kirk 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. After the war, Lt Van Kirk's remains were reinterred at Brittany American Cemetery in Saint-James, France. He has a cenotaph at Greenwich Cemetery in Greenwich, New York, where his parents are buried.
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, www.abmc.gov