 |
416th Bombardment Group (L) 2Lt. Arthur Allen ("Allen") McDonald Pilot, O-806285 Killed In Action - Apr 24, 1944 669th Bombardment Squadron (L) |
 |
Return to Table of Contents Return to Military Service Fatalities Index
|
416th Bombardment Group (L) 2Lt. Arthur Allen ("Allen") McDonald Pilot, O-806285 Killed In Action - Apr 24, 1944 669th Bombardment Squadron (L) |
|
|
Born: 09-Nov-1921, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Entered Military Service: Date: May-1942 From: Sedgwick County, Kansas Buried: Old Mission Cemetery, Wichita, Kanasas On-line Memorials: National World War II Registry Find-A-Grave |
|
Native of Dallas Killed Over Europe Lt. Arthur Allen McDonald, 22, pilot of an A-20 bomber, NinthArmy Air Corp, was killed in action on April 29, over Europe, according to information received from the War Department by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Silas S. McDonald, Wichita, Kan., former resident of Dallas, where Lieutenant McDonald was born. He was the grandson of Arthur M. Allen, 3917 Simpson. Lieutenant McDonals was graduated in 1939 from the Wichita High School with high honors and won a scholarship to Kenyon College, Ohio. After attending Kenyon two years he entered the service in May, 1942, received training in five airfields and was commissioned on June 30, 1943, at Columbus, Miss. After receiving tactical training he left for England, where he was stationed four months before his death. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilor fraternity and held the title of tennis champion in the Canadian National Junior League. Besides his parents, Lieutenant McDonald is survived by a brother, Capt. Silas S. McDonald Jr. and two sisters, all of Wichita. Extracted from Newspapers.com |
See also 2Lt Arthur Allen McDonald Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF)
(Courtesy of Nigel Staniforth plus FOIA request fulfilled by Government Information Specialist Bryan K. Jolly, Fort Knox, KY)
Disclaimer: IDPF files document efforts to locate, identify, move, notify relatives and provide final resting for Soldier Dead,
often months or years after death, thus some pages may contain potentially disturbing or distressing information.
If you are sensitive, please consider whether to read this or not.
Click Here for information on WWII IDPFs.
ON APRIL 24, 1944, the Douglas A-20 Havocs of the 669th Bomb Squadron, part of the 416th Bomb Group, USAAF, took off on a bombing mission against a target in France. However, before they reached the coast, the mission was recalled due to bad weather. At the controls of A-20G, 43-9941 (coded 2A-U) was 2nd Lt Arthur A McDonald. His crew that day were Joseph J Shields, and Leroy Barnard. Exactly what happened as the 669th Bomb Squadron returned to its base in Essex, no-one knows. According to the unit record, 2nd Lt McDonald lost control of the Havoc as he flew through the overcast sky. During the subsequent dive, the Havoc lost part of a wing. The unit record states 2nd Lt McDonald managed to pull the Havoc out of its dive and "before he hit the ground, he manoeuvred his plane in a last heroic effort to avoid crashing in the midst of a crowded city district. The plane struck the only open area in the vicinity". All three crewmen lost their lives.Arthur McDonald, Joseph J Shields, and Leroy Barnard were buried in the American Military Cemetery, at Madingley, near Cambridge. Only Joseph is still buried there.
If anyone has any information regarding the incident, email geoff@gkennell.freeserve.co.uk
The above information published by Geoff Kennell, Rydal Drive, Bexleyheath UK in the Borehamwood and Elstree Times.
See also AAR 44-4-24-513
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
|
|
|
Source information can be viewed at WWII Military Service Fatalities Sources
