Name:
Gene A. Witterstetter
Rank:
Second Lieutenant
Serial Number:
O-661910
Unit:
360th Bomber Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, Heavy
Date of Death:
1943-01-03
State:
Wisconsin
Cemetery:
Brittany American Cemetery St. James, France
Plot:
L
Row:
13
Grave:
9
Decoration:
Purple Heart
Comments:
2nd Lt Gene A. Witterstetter, co-pilot of the B-17 41-24620 "Snap! Crackle! Pop!", took off from Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, UK on a bombing mission over the “Flak City” of St Nazaire. The target was a torpedo storage area near the submarine pens. Once over the target area, heavy flak and fighter attacks damaged the plane and started a fire on board. Only three crew members managed to bail out, one without a parachute.