Osswalt John F.

Monuments

B-17 ‘The Passionate Witch’ & ‘Kickapoo Joy Juice’ Plaque

Name:

John F. Osswalt

Rank:

Second Lieutenant

Serial Number:

O-691794

Unit:

728th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy

Date of Death:

1944-03-28

State:

New York

Cemetery:

Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings County (Brooklyn), New York

Plot:

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Comments:

John F. Osswalt was born on June 11, 1922. He served in the 728th Bomber Squadron, 452nd Bomb Group, as a Second Lieutenant and Navigator on the B-17 #42-32082 'The Passionate Witch II' during World War II.

On March 28, 1944, his crew took off from Sation 142 airfield in Deopham Free, England, on a mission to bomb the Chateaudun airfield in France. At 14:08H, their plane was shot down by flak, taking a direct hit in the #4 tank, which ignited a huge fire. Their airplane exploded in flight and crashed 2 km south of Chateaudun airfield. The plane was totally destroyed in a ground collision with an Avro Lancaster. Six crew members (including 2Lt Osswalt) were Killed in Action. The others were able to bail out of the plane before it exploded but were taken as prisoners except for SSgt McLaughlin, who died in a hospital the next day.

2Lt Osswalt is now buried in the Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings County (Brooklyn), New York, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, francecrashes39-45.net