Harris Elijah Preble

Name:

Elijah Preble Harris

Rank:

Second Lieutenant

Serial Number:

O-701100

Unit:

361st Fighter Squadron, 356th Fighter Group

Date of Death:

1944-06-10

State:

Illinois

Cemetery:

Epinal American Cemetery, Dinozé, France

Plot:

B

Row:

7

Grave:

70

Decoration:

Purple Heart

Comments:

Elijah Preble Harris was born on April 18, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois. He served in the 361st Fighter Squadron, 356th Fighter Group, as a Second Lieutenant and Fighter Pilot during World War II.

On June 10, 1944, 2Lt Harris took off from airfield station 369 in Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, England, for a bombing and strafing mission. At 4:10 PM, the P-47 #42-7886 2Lt Harris was flying received a direct hit of flak in the Nantes-Gassicourt area, France. His plane was seen to break in two just behind the cockpit. The plane caught fire upon hitting the ground. No parachute was observed.

2Lt Harris is now buried in the Epinal American Cemetery, Dinozé, France.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov, www.americanairmuseum.com