Name:
Hayward S. Wheeler
Rank:
First Lieutenant
Serial Number:
O-803918
Unit:
718th Bomber Squadron, 449th Bomber Group
Date of Death:
1944-01-30
State:
Tennessee
Cemetery:
Florence American Cemetery, Impruneta (FI),
Plot:
A
Row:
10
Grave:
46
Decoration:
Air Medal, Purple Heart
Comments:
1 LT Hayward S. Wheeler was born in 1918 in Tennessee and lived in Los Angeles, California. He was killed on January 30, 1944 while serving as a crew member (Pilot) on B-24 (42-7730) 718th Bomber Squadron, 449th Bomber Group, 47th Bomber Wing when his plane was shot down by an enemy fighter. B-24 (42-7730) was part of a large bombing raid on an airfield in Campoformido, Italy. On the return trip, the formation was attacked by enemy fighters and the plane was shot down with a complete loss of life. The plane crashed in Campolongo where the town placed a plaque in 2011 to remember the sacrifice of the crew.