Name:
David C. Koblitz
Rank:
Sergeant
Serial Number:
37255047
Unit:
742nd Bomber Squadron, 445th Bomber Group
Date of Death:
1944-08-25
State:
Kansas
Cemetery:
Sicily Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy
Plot:
B
Row:
3
Grave:
37
Decoration:
Purple Heart, Air Medal
Comments:
Engineer of the B-24 G, 42-78240, "Our Love", which took off from near Bari, Italy on a bombing run of a train yard in Bucharest, Romania. Over the target, the plane was struck by anti-aircraft fire and thus fell out of formation and was attacked by five German fighter planes on the return flight, which brought the plane down. SGT David Koblitz and S/SGT Bruce Tuthill forced open the bomb-bay doors amidships and with gloved hands dumped equipment and ammo to lighten the plane. When the aircraft's two vertical tail rudders were shot off, it sent the plane into a spin of such power that it threw Koblitz and Tuthill out the bomb-bay doors and pinned the rest of the crew inside. The parachute ride left his lifeless body hanging in a tree.