Perkins John H., Jr.

Name:

John H., Jr. Perkins

Rank:

First Lieutenant

Serial Number:

O-661862

Unit:

422nd Bomber Squadron, 305th Bomber Group, Heavy

Date of Death:

1943-07-14

State:

Illinois

Cemetery:

Epinal American Cemetery, Epinal, France

Plot:

A

Row:

12

Grave:

33

Decoration:

Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart

Comments:

John H. Perkins, Jr. was born on October 24, 1919 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. He resided in Cook County, Illinois prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on November 10, 1941, prior to the war, in Chicago, Illinois. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Actor and also as Single, without dependents.

1st Lt Perkins was the pilot of the B-17 42-3049 “Windy City Challenger” which took off from station 105 in Chelveston, Nothamptonshire, UK on a bombing mission over Villacoublay. Two German FW-190 fighters came at the plane around 10000 feet. Their fire killed seven of the eleven crew members, their bodies trapped in the wreckage of the plane. The other four managed to bail out and opened their parachutes at 1000 feet. Perkins died in the crash.