Malasko William

Monuments

The Crash and Rescue of the B-24 42-100421 Crew Members

Romestaing American Airmen Plaque

Name:

William Malasko

Rank:

Staff Sergeant

Serial Number:

37161516

Unit:

565th Bomber Squadron, 389th Bomb Group

Date of Death:

1956-02-29

State:

Minnesota

Cemetery:

Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota

Plot:

Section G

Row:

Grave:

Site 4028

Decoration:

Comments:

William Malasko, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, was born on January 10, 1915. He served in the 565th Bomber Squadron, 389th Bomb Group, as a Staff Sergeant and Right Waist Gunner on the B-24 #42-100421 'Aphrodite's Disciples' during World War II.

On March 5, 1944, the crew took off from Station 114 airfield in Hethel, England, on a mission to bomb the Bergerac, Cognac, and Mont de Marsan airfields in France. At around 11:30 AM, their plane was shot down by fighters setting the no. 1 engine and a wing on fire. The crew evacuated the airplane at 17,000 feet, and all members survived except for SSgt D'Amore, whose parachute did not open or was killed during an escape attempt. Through the help of the French network, SSgt Malasko was able to evade German capture and return to England on May 25, 1944, via Pyrenees/Spain/Gibraltar.

SSgt Malasko died on February 29, 1956, at the age of 41. He is now buried in the Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, USA.

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