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Zajicek James L.

Name:
James L. Zajicek
Rank:
Second Lieutenant
Serial Number:
O-698812
Unit:
68th Bomber Squadron, 44th Bomb Group
Date of Death:
1944-04-21
State:
Illinois
Cemetery:
Woodlawn Cemetery, Forest Park, Illinois
Plot:
Row:
Grave:
Decoration:
Comments:

James L. Zajicek served in the 68th Bomber Squadron, 44th Bomber Group, as a Second Lieutenant and Navigator on the B-24 #41-29418 'Pappy's Chillun' during World War II. On April 21, 1944, their aircraft was on its way on a bombing mission to the German town of Zwickau, when during assembly north of Norwich, the aircraft encountered bad icing conditions. As it was climbing about 155 to 160 mph through overcast skies, it suddenly shuddered and bore sharply to the right and then back before canting over into a spin, with its tail and right-wing finally twisting off. The pilot and his co-pilot were tossed into the cockpit roof and then thrown out of the plane when it disintegrated still in flight. Both men were injured but, none of the other eight crew members survived.

2Lt Zajicek is now buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery, Forest Park, Cook County, Illinois, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, geograph.co.uk