Anthony Louis Destro
Military
A. L. D. II
Object Number - UPL 50993 - 2LT Anthony L. Destro - 445th BG - KIA 22 DEC 1943
Assigned to 702BS, 445BG, 8AF, USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Netherlands in B-24 42-7554 22-Dec-43; crashed into the cemetery in Mirns, Friesland, Netherlands Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 15597
On 22-Dec-43 Anthony's plane was shot down by German fighter planes while on a bombing mission between Bolsward and Workum in the Netherlands. Anthony and 6 of his fellow crew-members were killed in the crash. Their plane crashed down into the cemetery of the town of Mirns.
A funeral plot, caskets and flowers were donated by the town of Mirns and a formal burial was made for the dead crew-members at the near by RK Cemetery in Bakhuizen.
Today there is a plaque at the cemetery honoring Anthony and his crew-mates who lost their lives that day defending the people of Holland from the brutal Nazi occupation of their country.
Awards: PH.
Story written about the crash in Mar-2015 by Mr. Jaap Halma - http://www.heritageleague.org/brian/54.pdf
11-Nov2015: YouTube video of event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVpI3Tf-GWc
Commemoration ceremony photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/b-24_liberator_42-7554/albums
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 2nd Combat Bomb Wing 445th Bomb Group 702nd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: # 14165120
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 359th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 13033692
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 2nd Combat Bomb Wing 445th Bomb Group 702nd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: # 34351234
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade)
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 2nd Combat Bomb Wing 445th Bomb Group 702nd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: # 13125175
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 2nd Combat Bomb Wing 445th Bomb Group 702nd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: # 35371021
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
Aircraft
Missions
Places
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Jamestown, NY | 15 January 1921 | Son of Luigi and Mary [Agate] Destro. |
|
Enlisted |
Morrison Field, West Palm Beach, FL | 16 January 1942 | Morrison Field, West Palm Beach, Florida |
|
Died |
8573 Mirns, Netherlands | 22 December 1943 | |
|
Buried |
Memphis National Cemetery Memphis, Shelby County, TN | 30 August 1950 | Re-Interred Memphis National Cemetery Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee Also buried with Anthony are three of his crew-mate's: *1st LT. John Harold Allen, Pilot *T/Sgt. James C. Owens, Asst. Engineer *T/Sgt Oscar Robbins, Jr., Radio Operator |
|
Based |
Tibenham | 22 December 1943 | Assigned to 702BS, 445BG, 8AF, USAAF. |
Revisions
All from the same crew/ACFT. Anthony L. Destro II, nephew of Navigator
B-24H-1-FO, #42-7554 "Tail End Charlie"
From Dutch Journalists Jaap Halma's investigative eye witness story & report.
http://www.heritageleague.org/brian/54.pdf
Birsic, 2AD Roll of Honor / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia
