Stanford A Kay
Military ROLL OF HONOURprivate investigation
Killed in Action (KIA) at Dusseldorf in B-17 #43-38668.
A/C 668 received a direct hit by flak at Dusseldorf between #1 and #2 engines. The A/C peeled out of formation and went into a 30 sec dive in an attempt to extinguish the fire. A/C leveled off about 25,000 feet for a short time then the left wing came off and A/C went into an uncontrolled dive with A/C 151 reporting observing it hitting the ground in a mass of flames. Of the nine men crew, four were able to bail out before the plane went into spin. Surviving crew member reports indicate that 2nd Lt Kay was last seen removing his equipment in preparation to jump. He, and three other crew members, did not get the chance to bail out before the plane hit the ground and were killed in the crash.
A graduate of William Penn High School, class of 1938, and the Wharton Extension School, he is a former employee of the Middletown Air Depot. He entered the service as an aviation cadet in February, 1943 and was given preliminary training at Fort Myers Fla. He was awarded his wings and commission at Selma Field, Monroe, La., in June, 1944. In addition to his parents, he is survived by his widow, the former Miss Marion Stromwind, Washington, Pa.
Connections
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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: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 335444050
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 182271123
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: waist gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-772358
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18226368
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-2060304
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Died |
10 January 1945 | Gravenumber: Plot E, Row 20, Grave 25 Cemetery: American War Cemetery Margraten | |
Born |
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA | ||
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
Germany | 10 January 1945 |
Revisions
Added a "-" to the A/C tail # in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 11580 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database