Bruce C Alexander

Military ROLL OF HONOUR

Bruce Alexander’s father died in 1931 and his mother Edith raised alone his other siblings, brother Paul J. and sister Phyllis. In 1940, Bruce was working as a clerk in a grocery store. He attended Anaheim High School and studied 4 years there. He was working as a photographer before his enlistment in February 1943. He followed pilot training and was sent overseas where he was assigned to the 486th Bomb Group / 833rd Bomb Squadron in England. On his 2nd mission, he was pilot of B-17 “The Last Roundup” #43-37927, on the 6 December 1944 mission to Merseburg, Germany. The B-17 was hit by Flak and crashed near Ijmuiden, The Netherlands. Bruce Alexander and the 8 other crew members were killed. Killed In Action (KIA) - Missing Air Crew Report – MACR 11048.



Bruce Alexander is still listed as Missing In Action and has no known grave.

Connections

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Units served with

A diagrammatic layout of AAF Station 174 - the USAAF codename for Sudbury airfield - while the 486th Bomb Group were stationed at the airbase as of the 22 June 1944.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 486th Bomb Group 833rd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-771285
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 486th Bomb Group 833rd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 36747223
  • Highest Rank: Corporal
  • Role/Job: Radio Operator
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 486th Bomb Group 833rd Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Corporal
  • Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 486th Bomb Group 833rd Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Bombardier
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 486th Bomb Group 833rd Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Corporal
  • Role/Job: waist gunner

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: The Last Roundup
  • Unit: 486th Bomb Group 833rd Bomb Squadron

Missions

  • Date: 6 December 1944

Places

Aerial photograph of Sudbury airfield looking south west, the bomb dump is to the upper right of the airfield, 29 February 1944. Photograph taken by 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, sortie number US/7PH/GP/LOC188. English Heritage (USAAF Photography).
  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Acton

Events

Event Location Date Description

Enlisted

Santa Ana, California, United States 8 February 1943 in the Air Corps as an Aviation Cadet

Other

Killed in Action (KIA)

IJmuiden, Pays-Bas 6 December 1944 Killed in the loss of B-17 # 43-37927

Other

Missing In Action (MIA)

IJmuiden, The Netherlands 6 December 1944

Born

Anaheim, California, USA the son of George W. and Edith (Nicholson) Alexander
Anaheim, Orange County, California, United States

Other

Memorialized

Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, The Netherlands Memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten

Revisions

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added some punctuation in the "Summary biography" to aid readability.

Date
ContributorED-BB
Changes
Sources

MACR 11048
NARA WWII Enlistment records
ABMC website

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 11048 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database