Blattner LeRoy R.

Monuments

B-26 Marauder 'Lassie Come Home' (42-96168) Crewmen Memorial

Name:

LeRoy R. Blattner

Rank:

First Lieutenant

Serial Number:

O-869263

Unit:

599th Bomber Squadron, 397th Bomb Group, Medium

Date of Death:

1944-08-03

State:

Kansas

Cemetery:

Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Lemay Township, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA

Plot:

Section 82

Row:

Grave:

Site 187

Decoration:

Comments:

Leroy Blattner was born on November 20, 1921, in Pawnee County, Kansas. He was the son of Charles Blattner and Elizabeth "Bess" Haun Blattner. He served in the 599th Bombardment Squadron, 397th Bombardment Group, as a First Lieutenant and Bombardier of the B-26 42-96168 during World War II.

On August 3, 1944, B-26 Marauder 42-96168 took off from station #168 in Rivenhall, Essex, England on a mission Courtalain. The aircraft had a mid-air collision with B-26 42-96169 and crashed in Migeloup, France, killing all the crew members. The crash caused such severe devastation that it was impossible to identify the crew members individually, leading to their burial together in a collective grave in the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Lemay Township, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA. 1Lt Balttner has a cenotaph in Fairmount Cemetery.

Source of information: www.americanairmuseum.com