Name:
Claiborne McDonald Fuller
Rank:
Staff Sergeant
Serial Number:
14172934
Unit:
380th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 310th Bombardment Group (Medium)
Date of Death:
1945-04-04
State:
North Carolina
Cemetery:
Florence American Cemetery,(Firenze) Imprunet
Plot:
G
Row:
10
Grave:
34
Decoration:
Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart
Comments:
Staff Sergeant Claiborne M. Fuller was from Henderson, North Carolina. He was killed while serving as a crew member on the B-25 (43-27552) “Pretzel”, of the 380th Bomber Squadron, 310th Bomber Group, 57th Bomber Wing, when it crashed on April 4 1945. “Pretzel was part of a 12-plane raid to bomb the railroad bridge at Oberdrauburg, Austria. On the return trip, “Pretzel” collided with another B-25 (43-27737) “Oklahoma Betsie”. “Pretzel” crashed immediately with complete loss of life. Three crew members of “Oklahoma Betsie” perished when it also crashed nearby. A memorial at the “Pretzel” crash site near Monte Zoncolon in northeast Italy, remembers the sacrifice of the crew.