Theodore Paul Coyle was born in New Jersey April 23, 1920, the second of the three sons of James J. and Josephine Coyle. The Coyle family lived at 41 North 22nd Street in Camde3n NJ, where James Coyle in 1930 worked as a foreman at a radio factory. Theodore was a 1938 graduate of Camden High School. He worked in the record department at the RCA-Victor plant in Camden NJ after graduation. He enlisted in the United States Army on January 8, 1942. Once in the Army, Theodore Coyle qualified for flight duty, and trained as a flight engineer and gunner.
Theodore served in the 555th Bomb Squadron, 386th Bomber Group, Medium, as a Staff Sergeant and the Mechanic/Machine Gunner of the B-26 #42-96324 YA*X "Miss X" during World War II. After going overseas in the first half of 1943, he flew 65 missions before his plane failed to return from a flight.
On July 18, 1944, his crew took off from Station 164 airfield in Great Dunmow (Little Easton), England at 0530h on a mission to Caen and Démouville, France. Their plane was directly hit by flak in the right engine followed by another at the tail. The aircraft was partially evacuated at 12,000 feet (explosion possibly occured in flight around 07:00). 4 members of the crew were killed in the incident (including SSgt Coyle).
SSgt Coyle is now buried in the Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, France.
B-26 #42-96324 aircrew:
1Lt - Samuel Warren Cochran - Pilot
Capt Robert Lee "Perk" Perkins - Co-Pilot
S/Sgt Edward Benjamin Murray - Bombardier
T/Sgt Adolfo Albert Lopez, Jr. - Radio Operator/Machine Gunner
S/Sgt Theodore Paul Coyle - Mechanice/Machine Gunner
S/Sgt Leo William Kirk - Rear Gunner
Source of information: www.findagrave.com, francecrashes39-45.net