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name
HOOVER, Harold Dan - Date of
birth
24 August 1916 -
Age
28 - Place of
birth
Muskogee, Muskogee County, Oklahoma -
Hometown
Los Angeles County, California
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-442147 -
Rank
Captain -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
37th Fighter Squadron,
14th Fighter Group
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
11 April 1945 - Place of
death
North of Passau, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Lorraine
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| D | 43 | 14 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Dan H. Hoover (father)
Elberta M. (Park) Hoover (mother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-24418 -
Data
Type: P-38L
Destination: Munich Area, Germany
Mission: Strafing of targets of opportunity
MACR: 13979
More information
Capt Harold D. Hoover graduated from Central High School in 1933 and attended the University of Southern California.He joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in Los Angeles, California, on 18 August 1941.
1st Lt Lawrence E. Thompson:
“I heard Capt. Hoover, who was my wingman and had a few seconds before made a strafing attack on a locomotive, call that his aircraft was on fire. I immediately called him to bail out, but he again called me, stating the fire was not bad. I then advised him to feather the left engine as the left wing was burning. The aircraft then went into a tight turn to the left, flipped over on his back, and then crashed while in a vertical spin. This action occurred at an altitude of approximately 3,500 feet. I did not see Capt Hoover get away from the plane.”
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov – WWII Enlistment Record, www.fold3.com
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Damaris Acevedo, Arie-Jan van Hees - Pilot 44-D, Chico, California, Central High School, 1933