Christian Douglas Burger Jr. was born on July 16, 1920, in Oklahoma. He was the son of Christian Darrell "Ted" Burger and Katie Palmer Burger. He was married to Alma Louise Vineyard. He served in the 584th Bomber Squadron, 394th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a First Lieutenant and crew aboard the B-26 Marauder #42-107592 “Stinky”, based at Station No. 161, Boreham Airfield, Essex, England, during World War II.

On the morning of June 6, 1944, D-Day, B-26 Marauder 42-107592 “Stinky” was flying in formation toward its target over Normandy when it encountered heavy cloud cover and severe weather over Battle, Sussex, England. Visibility was extremely poor, with icing and turbulent cloud conditions. As the aircraft flew on instruments through dense overcast, it inadvertently collided with another Marauder, 42-96249 of the 587th Squadron, which had descended unexpectedly out of a thick cloud bank. The impact did not register as a strong jolt, according to the only survivor, Lt. Tommie Potts, but his aircraft soon entered an uncontrolled spin, eventually flipping onto its back. Potts ordered the bombs jettisoned to avoid ground explosions and then bailed out, becoming the sole survivor of both crews. B-26 “Stinky” crashed at Whatlington Level, while the other aircraft crashed at Ashburnham Place. The crews’ quick decision to release their bomb loads prevented further devastation on the ground.

1Lt Burger is now buried in the Graham Memorial Cemetery, Pryor, Mayes County, Oklahoma, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, gillinghambattleb26crash.weebly.com