Walter Ernest Hermenau
Military ROLL OF HONOURAdded Collection name
S/Sgt Walter E. Hermenau, Tail gunner of the B-17 42-37890 “Rovin' Ramona II"/"Big Friend", took off on 20 April 1944 from station 153 Framlingham, UK on a bombing mission over Cherbourg’s V1 launch pad. The plane was hit by flak at 18:57 just after dropping its bombs. It spun out of formation with a wing and an engine on fire. It exploded in mid-flight, spreading debris over three townships. Those killed were found in Brix, near Valognes, France. Hermenau was thrown from the plane by the explosion, without a parachute. Killed In Action (KIA).
Connections
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Units served with
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 15334177
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 15125765 at enlistment, then O-816009
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39150321
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: waist gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 13130405
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
Aircraft
Missions
Places
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Oak Bluffs, Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States | 14 November 1923 | |
Enlisted |
27 October 1942 | Boston, Massachusetts | |
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
Brix, near Valognes, France | 20 April 1944 | In the crash of B-17 #42-37890 Brix, 6km NW of Valognes, 20km SE of Cherbourg, France |
Buried |
24 April 1944 | at the English cemetery in Cherbourg, France | |
Vineyard Havens, Duke County, Massachusetts | |||
Buried |
after the war, his remains were brought back to the USA. Walter Hermenau rests at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Tisbury, Massachusetts |
Revisions
MACR 4169
NARA WWII Enlistment records
WWII Draft Card
https://fr.findagrave.com/memorial/182774462/walter-a_-hermenau
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 4169 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database