Stewart Welton Schoch
Military ROLL OF HONOURPhoto cropped from Crew Photograph, which the Howard G Mertens family possesses
Stewart Welton Schoch was the second son of Pennsylvania natives, Paul Edward Schoch, a chauffeur, and Gertrude Lydia (Stewart) Schoch. Stewart was single when he enlisted in the US Army Air Corps on 19 Apr 1943. He served as the Waist Gunner on the B-17G "Miss Lace," 44-6140, which encountered heavy flak over the target, the Brabag Synthetic Oil Plant just northeast of Zeitz, Germany, on 30 Nov 1944. After a close flak explosion, the plane lost its right wing, went into a steep dive, was ablaze, and broke into two sections: the tail/waist section, which landed near the town limits of Threna, Germany and the nose section, which crashed into District 7 of the Oberholz Forest near Großpösna, Germany. Schoch's ID tag and remains were recovered at the tail/waist section crash site near Threna and buried in an individual grave in that village's cemetery.
In late June 1945, the US Army exhumed his remains, established his identity from military dental records and his military identification tag, and re-interred the remains in the Lorraine American Cemetery, St Avold de la Moselle, France. His family placed a commemorative headstone for him at the Troutville United Church of Christ Cemetery, Troutville, 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: 379th Bomb Group 527th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 36624894
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 379th Bomb Group 527th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 16129428
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator / Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 379th Bomb Group 527th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 37534103
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 379th Bomb Group 527th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 19128200
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Nose Gunner / Enlisted
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 379th Bomb Group 527th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 20640242
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Miss Lace
- Unit: 379th Bomb Group 527th Bomb Squadron
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
DuBois, PA, USA | 9 August 1924 | |
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
Threna, Germany | 30 November 1944 | |
Buried |
Threna, 04683 Belgershain, Germany | ||
Other Re-interment |
Lorraine, France | Saint-Avold Department de la Moselle, Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial, Headstone Block A, Row 25, Grave 40. |
Revisions
Individual Deceased Personnel File for Stewart W Schoch; Missing Aircrew Report #11126; German "Report of Downed Enemy Aircraft, KU 3401"; ancestry.com research of Janine Hunter, Reagan, TN.
Missing Air Crew Report 11126. Individual Deceased Personnel File.
MACR 11126 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database