Ward Albert Kuentzel
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
media-55310.jpeg
UPL 55310
1LT Ward Albert Kuentzel
Fighter Pilot - Ace
82nd FG - 96th FS 12th AF
479th FG - 434th FS - 8th AF
KIA 19 June 1944
Fighter Pilot - Ace
82nd FG - 96th FS 12th AF
479th FG - 434th FS - 8th AF
KIA 19 June 1944
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Twelfth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Twelfth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: P-38 Lightning
- Unit: 479th Fighter Group 434th Fighter Squadron
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Delano, California | 25 April 1922 | |
Enlisted |
Bakersfield, California | 27 January 1942 | |
Other Aerial Victory |
Mediterranean Sea north of Bizerte, Tunisia | 20 March 1943 | 1 - Bf 109 |
Other Aerial Victory |
off the southern tip of Sardinia | 18 June 1943 | 1 - MC.202 (plus two MC.202 damaged) |
Other Aerial Victory |
near Alghero, Sardinia | 28 June 1943 | 1 - MC.202 |
Other Aerial Victories |
in the Vicinity of Castelveltrano, Sicily | 10 July 1943 | 1 - JU 88 1 - FW 190 |
Other Aerial Victory |
near Battipaglia, Italy | 22 July 1943 | 1 - Bf 109 |
Died Killed in Action (KIA) |
Montilly, France | 19 June 1944 - 19 June 1944 | Killed In Action Ward Kuentzel’s P-38 crashed in « Montilly » (Orne, France), June 19, 1944. His mission was to destroy six airfields in the area of « Bordeaux-Mérignac ». The planes of the 479 Th fighter squadron must meet a group of B17 near « La Rochelle » to ensure their safety when return to Great-Britain. But the fighters are confronted whith a thick cloud layer and they make the decision to turn back. The plane of the leader, Ward Kuentzel, went into a dive toward the ground and Franck Grdenich into its wake. A few secondes later, Ward Kuentzel crash himself at « Petit-Val », in Montilly (Orne, France), and Franck Grdenich in Aubusson (Orne, France). » « Ouest-France » newspaper article, june 21, 2014. |
Buried |
Delano, California | North Kern Cemetery Delano, Kern County, California, USA |
Revisions
Contributor466thHistorian
Changes
Sources
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=8939&h=6782978…
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/692859:2375?tid=&pid=…
"Adorimini" - Steve Blake & John Stanaway
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 5960 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database