Name:
Elijah L., Jr. Cockrill
Rank:
Second Lieutenant
Serial Number:
O-699140
Unit:
786th Bomber Squadron, 466th Bomber Group, Heavy
Date of Death:
1944-06-25
State:
Tennessee
Cemetery:
Epinal American Cemetery, Dinozé, France
Plot:
A
Row:
26
Grave:
62
Decoration:
Purple Heart, Air Medal
Comments:
Born 13 May 1921
From Memphis, Tennessee
Navigator of the B-24 Liberator 41-29371 “Crippled Bitch” that took off from Station 120 Attlebridge in Norfolk, UK on a mission to bomb the airfield at Bretigny-sur-Orge in France. The plane was hit by flak before it had released its bombs. The flaming plane was partially evacuated before it disintegrated in an in-flight explosion at 20,000 feet at around 7:30 pm. Cockrill was killed by the flak in the plane.