Richard William Wenzlaff
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
Object Number - UPL 28459 - Richard William Wenzlaff
Richard William Wenzlaff was born in Appleton, Wisconsin on January 6, 1910. He was raised with 6 siblings and eventually married Minnie Wenzlaff, having 6 (possibly 7) children with her. He was then drafted into WWII on July 28th in 1942. He served until February 24th, 1944. On that day, he died in combat as his plane was shot down South-West of Gotha, and he was the only of his squad to die in the crash and flames. He now has a grave in his hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin.
Shot down by fighters and crashed SW of Gotha on a mission to Gotha, GR on 24 Feb 1944 in B-24H #41-29192. Killed in Action (KIA).
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
![A pathfinder B-24 Liberator of the 577th Bomb Squadron, 392nd Bomb Group. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Note radar gear under nose/cockpit area!' Handwritten and printed caption on reverse: '392BG 577SQ.' On reverse: John E. Bode Aug 05 1964 [Stamp].](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-414153.jpg.webp?itok=qGPtoDSE)
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Skylark, The Sky Shark
- Unit: 392nd Bomb Group 577th Bomb Squadron
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
6 January 1910 | ||
|
Other Enlisted |
28 July 1942 | ||
|
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
24 February 1944 | ||
|
Buried |
|||
|
Other Family Memebers |
Parents Father: Richard Gustave Wenzlaff Mother: Minnie Mae Wenzlaff Brothers Alphonse John Fredrick Wenzlaff, Carl O. Wenzlaff, Victor A Wenzlaff Sisters Agnes E. Vogt, Helen Louise Wenzlaff, Dorothy Haefs Spouse Minnie Wenzlaff. Died March 1949, 70 years old. Sons Al Wenzlaff, Carl Wenzlaff, Victor Wenzlaff. (Possibly “Richard Wenzlaff Jr,” also KIA) Daughters Mrs. Reinhold Voight, Mrs. William Haefs, Helen Wenzlaff. |
Revisions
Removed some Punctuation in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity.
Added " / " in the "Role/job" field as a separator to aid readability.
Sources:
http://search.ancestryclassroom.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc=Qsp10&_phsta…
Enlistment info
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=111666113
Awards
Birthdate
Cemetary
Service Number
https://basic.newspapers.com/image/243303260/?terms=Richard%2BWenzlaff
Family
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gl=allgs&gss=sfs28_ms_f-2_s&…
Middle name
Siblings
Picture
Nickname
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2945 / MACR 2945, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
