Name:
Norman Raymond Gellerman
Rank:
Technical Sergeant
Serial Number:
37309882
Unit:
36th Bomb Squadron, 482nd Bomb Group, Heavy
Date of Death:
1944-03-02
State:
Minnesota
Cemetery:
Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-Sur-Mer, France
Plot:
A
Row:
13
Grave:
32
Decoration:
Air Medal, Purple Heart
Comments:
TSgt Norman Raymond Gellerman, mechanic of the B-24 42-63792 “U”, took off from station 102 in Alconbury, Cambridgeshire, UK on Op Musician 4, a para-drop for the Aisne Resistance. The plane was hit by flak at 2300 and crash landed on its belly, killing TSgt Gellerman. His wife got the telegram on his birthday along with the wooden cross he wore, now blackened with fire. His official KIA notice came in 1947. It wasn't until 1999, however, that the family started digging around for the circumstances of his death. Thanks to the internet and the local Frenchmen who remembered that day, his sons and grandchildren were able to find some answers.