Ned Vukomanovich was born at Chicago, Cook County, Illinois on May 19, 1923. His birth name was Nedeljko Vukomanovich. His parents were Svetozar 'Steve' Vukomanovich (7 Jan 1892 – 20 Jul 1963) and Milka (Berich) Vukomanovich (29 Oct 1888 – Nov 1983). His parents were Croatian and were born at Trnava in the former Yugoslavia (could be Trnava, Croatia; or Trnava, Serbia; or Trnava, Slovenia). His parents married about 1908. His father immigrated to America at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 23, 1913, and became a naturalized US citizen at Chicago, Illinois on October 19, 1927. His father returned to Europe for his family, because he arrived with his wife Milka and son Savo Vukomanovich (22 Jan 1911 – 28 Jan 2003) at Ellis Island, Port of New York in December 1922. In 1940 the family lived at 5337 Emerald Street, Chicago, Illlinois, and his father worked as a hotel lobby porter; his brother Savo was an elevator operator at a hotel. In 1942 the family lived at 3000 S Trumbull Avenue in Chicago, his home of record.

He completed three years of high school and worked as an architect. He and his brother Savo were both members of the National Guard. He was single, without dependents, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Field Artillery at Chicago, Illinois, on March 5, 1941. He later transferred to the Army Air Corps. He entered Army Air Forces pilot training in Class 43-J in January 1943, and completed the Primary phase of pilot training at Fred Harman Training Center, Bruce Field, Ballinger, Texas. Apparently he later washed out of pilot training and completed aerial gunnery training.

He was assigned as waist gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Everitt F. Goethe. By December 1943 the Goethe crew began B-24 crew training at Davis-Monthan Field near Tucson, Arizona. On January 1, 1944, the crew was assigned to the 837th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico. There they completed B-24 crew training and deployed with the Group to England in March 1944. They flew B-24H 42-52743 overseas from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Lavenham, England via the southern Atlantic ferry route—a journey of about 10,000 miles—and arrived in England by mid-April 1944. The 487th Bomb Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.

On May 20, 1944, the 487th Bomb Group took off from Lavenham Airfield to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Liege, Belgium. Lt Goethe's crew took off in B-24H 42-52743 in poor visibility due to fog. The aircraft lost its number two engine soon after takeoff, and Lt Goethe was unable to climb or maintain altitude. He attempted to return to base, but the aircraft crashed and burned in a wooded area north of Kentwell Hall, Long Melford, Suffolk, England, about two miles southwest of the base. Five men died in the crash. Sgt Vukomanovich died later that day in hospital. Four men survived.

His remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Montrose Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois in 1948.

B-24H 42-52743 crew:
• Goethe, Everitt F – 2/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Carmen, Earnest T – 2/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Moentenich, Louis P – 2/Lt – Navigator – KIA
• Hartley, James W – 2/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Dustman, Darell M – S/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Allen, Stanley M – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – Safe
• Shackleford, James L – Sgt – Nose Turret Gunner – KIA
• Puglia, Joseph J – Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – Safe
• Vukomanovich, Ned – Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Jeffries, William – Sgt – Tail Gunner – Safe

Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com