Wagner James Lester “Jim”

Monuments

B-24 (42-40983) ‘Judith Lynn’ and B-24 (42-100248) ‘Bar Fly’ Monument

Name:

James Lester “Jim” Wagner

Rank:

First Lieutenant

Serial Number:

O-748852

Unit:

409th Bomber Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group

Date of Death:

1944-04-01

State:

Pennsylvania

Cemetery:

Epinal American Cemetery, Dinozé, France

Plot:

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters

Comments:

James Lester “Jim” Wagner was born on November 10, 1918, in Mount Jackson, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Claude McKinley Wagner and Ethel Viola Boyd Wagner.

James served in the 409th Bomber Squadron, 93th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a First Lieutenant and Co-Pilot on the B-24 #42-100248 'Bar Fly' during World War II.

On April 1, 1944, his crew took off from Hardwick, England, for a mission to Germany. Between 11:40 AM and 12 noon, on their return from their mission, their plane was shot down by enemy fighters between Fresne-les-Reims and Burgundy, France, and crashed at Reims-Courcy. The incident resulted in the deaths of all crew members except for SSgt Stanley, who was taken as a prisoner.

1Lt Wagner is now buried in the Epinal American Cemetery, Dinozé, France.

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