West John Q., Jr.

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John Q., Jr. West is honored on the following 1 monument(s) in our database:

Cpt West and Lt Cramer Crash Marker

Name:

John Q., Jr. West

Rank:

Captain

Serial Number:

O-413177

Unit:

598th Bomber Squadron, 397th Bomb Group, Medium

Date of Death:

1944-08-01

State:

Mississippi

Cemetery:

Brittany American Cemetery, St. James, France

Plot:

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters

Comments:

Cpt John Q. West Jr., pilot of the B-26 Marauder 43-34126 "By Golly", took off from station 168 Rivenhall, Essex, UK on a bombing mission to destroy a bridge in Angers. They were targeted and shot down by a German Me-109. The plane was partially bailed out, but West and Lt Cramer did not make it. Cramer's parachute had burned, rendering it useless. In order to save his navigator, West opted to try to land the plane instead of bailing out himself. The plane exploded in midair before he could manage that.