Allan Brown Underwood was born at Nogales, Santa Cruz County, Arizona on October 28, 1923. His parents were Timothy Irve Underwood (1 Jan 1879 – 6 Dec 1933), who was born in Indiana; and Ellen Christine Underwood (1887 – 1981), who was born in Denmark and immigrated to America about 1889. His parents married about 1919, and by 1920 lived at Nogales, Arizona, where his father was a retail merchant. He had four brothers, all born at Nogales: John I. Underwood (1920 – 2009), William S. Underwood (1921 – 2016), Donald Robert Underwood (8 Aug 1922 – 19 Apr 2005), and Gerald T. Underwood (1928 – unk). His three older brothers all served during World War II.
He grew up in Nogales, Arizona, and later resided at Los Angeles County, California. He completed one year of college, and worked in a semiskilled occupation in the building of aircraft. He was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Phoenix, Arizona on January 21, 1943. His wartime home of record was his mother's address at 106 Alameda Street, Nogales, Arizona.
He completed Army Air Forces navigator training and was assigned to the heavy bomber crew of Second Lieutenant Charlton A. Deuschle. The crew completed B-17 operational training in the States and deployed to England. They were assigned to the 838th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and were part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. The Deuschle crew was a replacement crew, and probably arrived in England in July 1944.
Lt Underwood and seven of his crewmates were killed in action on August 5, 1944 when their aircraft, B-17G 43-38007, was shot down by flak on a mission to bomb an aircraft engine factory at Magdeburg, Germany. The aircraft received direct hits just before bombs away, and exploded within seconds. The fuselage broke apart aft of the ball turret, and part of the right wing came off. The aircraft crashed near Lostau, Germany, 13 kilometers southwest of Burg, near Magdeburg. Pilot 2/Lt Deuschle and gunner Sgt Robert J. Crooker survived and became prisoners of war. The dead were buried initially at the village cemetery in Lostau, Germany.
After the war, Lt Underwood's remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
B-17G 43-38007 crew:
• Deuschle, Charlton A – 2/Lt – Pilot – POW
• Steffens, Eugene F – 2/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Underwood, Allan B – 2/Lt – Navigator – KIA
• Gregory, Jesse E – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• Late, Carl L – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Cochran, William J – S/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Hinkson Jr, Harry M – Sgt – Tail Gunner – KIA
• Deelaney, Grady E – Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Haglund, John L – Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Crooker, Robert J – Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com