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name
PRESSEL, David Ferdinand - Date of
birth
16 March 1921 -
Age
22 - Place of
birth
Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana -
Hometown
Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
15104503 -
Rank
Technical Sergeant -
Function
Radio Operator -
Unit
510th Bombardment Squadron,
351st Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Missing in Action - Date of
death
9 October 1943 - Place of
death
Hallig Hooge Island, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten - Walls of the Missing
Immediate family
-
Members
Raymond Pressel (father)
Ruth (Paul) Pressel (mother)
Jennie C. Pressel (sister)
Raymond A. Pressel (brother)
Elizabeth Pressel (sister)
Betty J. (Winters) Pressel (wife)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-30867 -
Data
Type: B-17F
Destination: Anklam, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the Arado-Heinkel aviation industry
MACR: 1035
More information
David Pressel attended Shortridge High School and was employed as a maintenance man.He volunteered for the Army of the United States at fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana on 11 July 1942.
Shortly after crossing the Danish coast the group was attacked by German fighters. Thirty to fifty Me 109s executed many close attacks. At the start of the bomb-run the enemy fighters broke off their attacks, leaving the formation to suffer the attentions of the Anklam flak gunners.
Smoke from the bombs of the preceding Wing obscured the target, as a consequence most of the bombs fell in the center of the city.
The formation turned for home and flew straight into the Luftwaffe's assembled forces. Me 110s and a few Ju 88s stood off and fired rockets into the formation.
Edmond Blais and another crew member, John R. Butterbach, were killed during the fighter attack.
In total four crew members were killed, six were taken prisoner.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.fold3.com, www.basher82.nl, www.ancestry.com - 1940 census / Family Tree, www.newspapers.com - The Indianapolis Star
Photo source: www.basher82.nl, www.newspapers.com - The Indianapolis News