Beaudoin Roland A.

Name:

Roland A. Beaudoin

Rank:

Staff Sergeant

Serial Number:

31327227

Unit:

861st Bomber Squadron, 493rd Bomb Group

Date of Death:

1944-12-30

State:

Connecticut

Cemetery:

Cambridge American Cemetery, United Kingdom

Plot:

Tablets of the Missing

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters

Comments:

Roland A. Beaudoin served in the 861st Bomber Squadron, 493rd Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Ball Turret Gunner on the B-17G #43-38190 "Sweet Sue" during World War II. On December 30, 1944, his crew took off at Felixstowe, England, on a mission to Kassel, Germany. After climbing on altitude over the English Channel, one of their engines began smoking, then caught on fire. As the pilots fought to regain control, five men bailed out while over the water. Their aircraft was stabilized, and the airplane successfully landed at an emergency airstrip at Woodbridge. Those men who bailed out were never found, which includes SSgt Beaudoin. He is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing, Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

The five crew members who bailed out were:
Roland A Beaudoin - Ball Turret Gunner
Donald L Beba - Waist Gunner
Glenward S Fuchs Jr - Tail Gunner
Sidney W Minor - Flight Engineer
Donald Pelletier - Waist Gunner

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov, www.honorstates.org