Allen Arthur Gregory was born on June 16, 1920 in Downers Grove, DuPage County, Illinois. He graduated from the local grade and high schools, attended the Methodist Sunday school and was a member of the boy scouts and sea scouts of the village. Allen enlisted in the army air corps ground forces Sept. 25, 1940 and graduated from Chanute Field Sept. 12, 1941.

He was a crew chief at Randolph Field when he volunteered for foreign service in December of 1942 when he was sent to Wendover Field for heavy bomber training. He left for foreign service in June, 1943, and was a flight engineer on a flying fortress.

On the foggy morning of May 20, 1944, some three hours after the last plane had taken off for the day's mission to Brussels, M/Sgt. Gregory was relaxing in his line tent near the runway with fellow crew chiefs David Price and Clove Wells, unaware that a troubled plane was coming in for an emergency landing. Aircraft 42-97352 had aborted the mission when its #1 engine failed, along with the electric and hydraulic systems. At 9:50 a.m., with the plane's wheels cranked manually into position, the pilot was making his third landing attempt when engine #1 burst into flame. The pilot brought the plane down abruptly and at high speed, missing the runway. The plane then sped across the grass, plowing through the crew chief's tent. M/Sgt. Gregory and Sgt. Price were killed instantly; M/Sgt. Wells was injured but recovered.

Msgt Gregory is now buried in the Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, United Kingdom. He also has a cenotaph located in Clarendon Hills Cemetery, Darien, DuPage County, Illinois. He was one of the many brave Americans of the 388th Bomber Group who lost their lives in aerial operations against the German forces from June 1943 - August 1945.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, 388bg.com