Richard John Kasten
Military ROLL OF HONOURNavigator. Joined 68th Squadron on 5 October 1943. Shot down by fighters after bombs away on mission to V-1 sites at Escalles-sur-Buchy on 21 January 1944 in B-24H #42-7635 'Ram It-Dam' It'. Killed in Action (KIA). His remains were never recovered and he is still listed as MIA. His name is on the Tablets of the Missing at the American Normandy Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France.
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: 44th Bomb Group 68th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 14151313
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Engineer/Top Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 44th Bomb Group 68th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39831745
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade)
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 44th Bomb Group 68th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18162569
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 44th Bomb Group 68th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 35037588 at enlistment, then O-741141
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 44th Bomb Group 68th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 11052903 at enlistment, then O-748585
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Ram-It-DamIt
- Unit: 44th Bomb Group 68th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 21 January 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Pathway
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
27 July 1919 | Grand Rapids, Michigan, the son of John Vinke Kasten | |
Enlisted |
26 March 1941 | Kalamazoo, Michigan | |
Died |
21 January 1944 | on board 42-7635, over France | |
Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan |
Revisions
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2357 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Webb Todd, MACR 2357, 8th AF Losses