Lynn Wilson Hadfield was born on October 23, 1918, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah. He was the son of William Hadfield and Mary Latilla Wilding Hadfield. He was married to Betty Jean Taylor Marshall. He graduated from Granite High School and later attended Sacramento Junior College and the University of Utah. Before entering military service, he worked as a retail manager for Standard Station, Inc. He enlisted in Salt Lake City, Utah, on December 22, 1942, and underwent flight training at Maxwell Field, Alabama, and George Field, Illinois. He also served as a flight instructor at Turner Field, Alabama. He served in the 642nd Bomber Squadron, 409th Bomber Group, Light, as a Second Lieutenant and Pilot of A-26B #43-22353 during World War II.

On March 21, 1945, A-26B Invader 43-22353, assigned to the 642nd Bombardment Squadron (Light), 409th Bombardment Group (Light), was flying in the same formation en route to strike the rail hub at Dülmen. When the leading aircraft (43-22359) was hit by intense flak, the resulting explosion tore apart part of its wing, sending debris and shrapnel into the path of 43-22353. The fragments damaged the engine nacelle and critical control surfaces, causing a rapid loss of power and control authority. With no altitude to recover and no opportunity for the crew to bail out, the aircraft went into an uncontrolled descent and crashed near Hülsten-Holtkämpe, approximately 5.5 km southeast of Reken, killing all on board.

In 2016, German researcher Adolph Hagedorn identified a site in Hülsten-Reken that matched his aircraft, leading to excavations that recovered aircraft wreckage, personal effects, and possible human remains. Hadfield’s remains were identified through mitochondrial DNA, dental, and anthropological analysis. He is honored on the Tablets of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery, where a rosette will mark his accounting. He is now buried in the Utah State Veterans Memorial Park, Bluffdale, Salt Lake County, Utah, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.army.mil, www.fieldsofhonor-database.com