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name
POULSON, Glenn William - Date of
birth
29 October 1922 -
Age
22 - Place of
birth
Williamsburg, Iowa County, Iowa -
Hometown
Williamsburg, Iowa County, Iowa
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-788083 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Bombardier -
Unit
599th Bombardment Squadron,
397th Bombardment Group, Medium
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
8 April 1945 - Place of
death
Peine, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| N | 21 | 1 |
Immediate family
-
Members
William A. Poulson (father)
Magaret C. (Martin) Poulson (mother)
Ruth E. Poulson (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-68148 -
Data
Type: B-26
Destination: Nienhagen, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the oil refinery
MACR: 14263
More information
2nd Lt Glenn W. Poulson graduated from Williamsburg High School with the class of 1941.Following graduation he attended an aircraft school in Des Moines for a time. After that, he went to California where he was employed in a large machine shop and in the shipyards for nearly two years before he joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri.
The aircraft suffered a direct hit by heavy flak in the bomb bay. At the same time, it blew off the left wing and engine and about twelve feet of the tail was blown clear of the aircraft.
Two crew members survived and were taken prisoner, four were killed.
According to S/Sgt Doane, the pilot, Lt Starkey, was desperately trying to regain control of the aircraft after it was hit. S/Sgt Doane's last communication with Lt Starkey was when the pilot instructed him to go to the bomb bay and remove the safety pins from their bomb load.
Lt Poulson was apparently in the nose of the aircraft, a rather cramped place. He did not have his parachute, it was stowed in the radio room (aft of the cockpit). According to S/Sgt Doane, Lt Poulson was unable to reach the radio room to get his parachute due to the aircraft being in a spin. Apparently Lt Poulson may have been slightly injured. The last S/Sgt Doane knew of the bombardier was the co-pilot pounding him on the legs, trying to "hurry him up.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Raf Dyckmans, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - Family Trees
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, www.ancestry.com, Family Poulson, Georges Herijgers