Lidgard Willard Vaughan

Name:

Willard Vaughan Lidgard

Rank:

First Lieutenant

Serial Number:

O-747834

Unit:

577th Bomber Squadron, 392nd Bomber Group

Date of Death:

1944-03-18

State:

Indiana

Cemetery:

Epinal American Cemetery, Dinozé, France

Plot:

A

Row:

30

Grave:

3

Decoration:

Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart

Comments:

Willard Vaughan Lidgard was born on June 9, 1918, in Danville, Illinois. He was the son of Berlin Willard Lidgard and Della Mae Warnacut Goodrich.

Willard served in the 577th Bomber Squadron, 392nd Bomber Group, as a First Lieutenant and Co-Pilot on the B-24 Liberator #42-7497 during World War II.

On March 18, 1944, his crew took off from Station 118 airfield in Wendling, England, for a mission in Friedrichshafen. At 1510 hours, the plane was last seen spinning down to the left, with one engine on fire, and subsequently crashing. A total of seven parachutes in two groups were seen. Those seven crew members became prisoners of war. The bodies of the other three crew members were discovered in the wreckage, including 1Lt Lidgard's.

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