Loye James Lauraine Jr
Military ROLL OF HONOURAssigned to 837BS, 487BG, 8AF USAAF. Flew 1st tour on B-24H 42-52425 'The Tweachewous Wabbit'. 34 x missions. Returned for 2nd tour. Mission to Merseburg/Leuna, Germany in B-17G 42-97997 'Honorable Patches' severely damaged by flak, with some control cables shot away. Flew back to UK, crew baled out near Ipswich. Crashed 2 miles East of Framlingham, 25-Nov-44 Killed in Action (KIA).
Awards: DSC (Posthumous), AM (3OLC), EAME (1 Battle stars), PH.
DSC Citation: "First Lieutenant (Air Corps) Loye J. Lauraine (ASN: 0-750628), United States Army Air Forces, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a B-17 Heavy Bomber in the 837th Bombardment Squadron, 487th Bombardment Group (H), EIGHTH Air Force, while participating in a bombing mission on 25 November 1945, against enemy ground targets in the European Theater of Operations. On that date, Lieutenant Lauraine's plane had just finished dropping it's bombs on an oil refinery in Merseburgh, Germany, when it was hit by a burst of flak from enemy anti-aircraft guns. With masterful airmanship, he piloted the crippled bomber back to England and ordered his crew to bail out. As Lieutenant Lauraine prepared to bail out, the plane went into a steep dive and was headed toward a densely populated military installation. Instead of jumping out, which he could have done, the he went back to the controls and regained altitude. By his actions Lieutenant Lauraine saved the lives of many on the ground but he lost his own, as the B-17 went into a violent spin and crashed in an open field. The personal courage and zealous devotion to duty displayed by First Lieutenant Lauraine on this occasion, at the cost of his life, have upheld the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 8th Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces."
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: 487th Bomb Group 837th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Engineer
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 487th Bomb Group 837th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 487th Bomb Group 837th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Engineer
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 487th Bomb Group 837th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-692506
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 487th Bomb Group 837th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
Aircraft
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Lavenham/Alpheton Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Gonzales, TX 78629, USA | 17 March 1918 | Son of Loye J Sr and Hallie [Cox] Lauraine. |
Died |
2 miles E Framlingham, Woodbridge IP13, UK | 25 November 1944 | Mission to Merseburg/Leuna, Germany in B-17G 42-97997 'Honorable Patches' severely damaged by flak, with some control cables shot away. Flew back to UK, crew baled out near Ipswich. Crashed 2 miles East of Framlingham, 25-Nov-44 Killed in Action (KIA). |
Rapides Parish, LA, USA | |||
Based |
Lavenham | 25 November 1944 | Assigned to 837BS, 487BG, 8AF USAAF. |
Buried |
519 St Joseph St, Gonzales, TX 78629, USA | Gonzales Masonic Cemetery Gonzales, Gonzales County, TX | |
Enlisted |
Texas, USA |
Revisions
https://www.fold3.com/image/310762811?terms=Loye%20J%20Lauraine
https://www.fold3.com/image/626094408
We Were Eagles Volume Four: The Eighth Air Force at War November 1944 to May 1945 By Martin W. Bowman
http://www.487thbg.org/photos/laurainecrew.shtml
http://www.militaryhallofhonor.com/honoree-record.php?id=314539
https://www.fold3.com/image/216343634?rec=216343728
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15384340/loye-james-lauraine
https://www.fold3.com/image/310762811?terms=Loye%20J%20Lauraine
https://www.fold3.com/image/626094408
We Were Eagles Volume Four: The Eighth Air Force at War November 1944 to May 1945 By Martin W. Bowman
http://www.487thbg.org/photos/laurainecrew.shtml
http://www.militaryhallofhonor.com/honoree-record.php?id=314539
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15384340/loye-james-lauraine
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / WWW.487thBG.org roster