Name:
Gerald V., Jr. Howard
Rank:
First Lieutenant
Serial Number:
O-1011179
Unit:
506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
Date of Death:
1944-06-06
State:
Ohio
Cemetery:
Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupre, Belgium
Plot:
B
Row:
42
Grave:
53
Decoration:
Bronze Star, Purple Heart
Comments:
1st Lt Gerald V. Howard Jr., member of the 3/506th Parachute Regiment, took off from Station 463 in Exeter, Devon, UK to drop at 0140 over Albany. The C-47 and its paratroopers were nicknamed Chalk 15, one of three aircraft designated to carry additional munitions and TNT in wing loads. The plane did not make it, shot down by flak at dawn on D-Day which ignited the TNT and sent it spiraling down into the French countryside.