Leroy Desmond Cruse
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
"Iowans of the Mighty Eighth", Chapter 19 "Killed in Action", by Charles D Taylor
Object Number - UPL 21304 - Leroy Cruse - Terril, 351st BG, KIA
Shot down 28-May-44 in B-17 42-31721 'Black Magic'. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 5334
First to bale out, chute seen to fully deploy, seen by a fellow crewmate to land successfully, killed by civilian Richard Wegman, later found guilty of his murder.
Awards: PH
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 351st Bomb Group 510th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 13059682 / O-801999
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Black Magic
- Unit: 351st Bomb Group 510th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 28 May 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Terril, Iowa, USA | 16 April 1915 | Son of Michael Robert and Della Mae [Staples] Cruse. |
|
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
Dessau, Dessau-Roßlau, Germany | 28 May 1944 | Shot down 28-May-44 in B-17 42-31721 'Black Magic'. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 5334 |
|
Based |
Polebrook | 28 May 1944 | Assigned to 510BS, 351BG, 8AF USSAF. |
|
Buried |
Fairview Cemetery Terril, Dickinson County, IA | Re-Interred Fairview Cemetery Terril, Dickinson County, IA | |
|
Enlisted |
|||
|
Other Joined AAC |
Joined AAC in April 1943 and was sent overseas in August 43. |
Revisions
https://www.fold3.com/image/28643527
https://www.fold3.com/image/310952185?terms=Leroy%20D%20Cruse
https://www.fold3.com/page/638802549-leroy-d-cruse/facts
https://www.fold3.com/image/317533735?terms=Leroy%20D%20Cruse
Mission 376: Battle Over the Reich, May 28, 1944 By Ivo de Jong
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48505128/leroy-desmond-cruse
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 5334 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
