George J Koehn
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
Pilot
458th BG - 752nd BS
KIA returning from a gas haul misson, 24 Sept 1944
Object Number - UPL 22404 - 2LT George Koehn Pilot 458th BG - 752nd BS KIA returning from a gas haul misson, 24 Sept 1944
Killed in Action (KIA) Crashed at St Zizier in B-24 #4252348
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: 458th Bomb Group 752nd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-716983
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 752nd Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 752nd Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Lady Shamrock
- Unit: 445th Bomb Group 703rd Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Gas House Mouse
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 752nd Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Died |
24 September 1944 | ||
|
Born |
Madison, Wisconsin, USA | ||
|
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
Netherlands | 24 September 1944 | The crew departed from Horsham St. Faith and arrived safely at the assigned destination of St. Dizier, which was not too far from the front lines. After off-loading their cargo of gasoline it was too late to return to Horsham, so the crew stayed the night. On the morning of September 24th, the crew departed from St. Dizier and headed for their home base. They would have been flying low over the approximate route that they had used on the trip the previous day. According to Hudson's casualty report, he heard Soesbe say, "The damn fools are shooting at us!" before the inter-phone was knocked out. The route back to Horsham should have crossed the coast line at the Belgian-Dutch border, but they may have drifted a little to the right of the direct route. Also, there may have been pockets of Germans that did not show up on any flak maps. No one will ever know for sure. Hudson could not contact the flight deck again and flames were apparently going through the fuselage. He bailed out of a waist window, but not before he was badly burned. After he bailed out the ship exploded. All of those empty drop tanks in the bomb bays made the returning planes flying bombs. His parachute apparently was not too badly burned and he landed in an area where he was taken prisoner. His burns were severe enough that he was treated at a German hospital. Now we know the plane was still over Holland when it blew up and close enough to the coast for the wreckage to have been found by the Dutch Coast Guard so close to the safety of the English Channel. |
|
Buried |
No Known Grave Tablets of the Missing Netherlands American Cemetery |
Revisions
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 9574 / MACR 9574 & Page 320 in the book SECOND AIR DIVISION by Turner Publishing Company, 1998 edition, D790.A2S45 & Page 278of the book LIBERATORS OVER EUROPE by Mackay, Bailey & Scorza, D790G458 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
