Wilton Gustave Erickson
Military ROLL OF HONOURWilton Erickson was flying on his first mission, an escort and support one, on 1 December 1943. His P-38 #42-67033 was last seen in the vicinity of Much, about 30km East of Köln, Germany. Shot down by German fighters, his P-38 crashed near Lanzerath, Germany. MACR 1430. Killed In Action (KIA). His remains were found in 1997 by two young Germans and repatriated in 1998. The WWII Army and Air Forces Casualties records have him as from Geauga County and "FOD". His name had been inscribed on the Walls of the Missing at the Cambridge American Cemetery and a rosette has been placed next to his name there after his recovery.
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
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: P-38 Lightning
- Unit: 55th Fighter Group 38th Fighter Squadron
Missions
- Date: 1 December 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Ohio | 22 August 1918 | |
Other Killed In Action |
1 December 1943 | crashed near Lanzerath, Germany. | |
Buried |
14 March 1998 | at the Briar Hill (now Riverside) Cemetery, Russell Township, Geauga County, Ohio |
Revisions
Added recovery details ( posting in 2015 by the pilot's niece, Kirsten Erickson, at https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/erickson/1207/ )
Burial details at http://files.usgwarchives.net/oh/geauga/cemeteries/rut/lotorder/briarhi…
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 1430 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list