Edward Reichel was born at Brooklyn, New York on April 4, 1922. His parents were Samuel 'Sam' Reichel (4 Jul 1890 – 9 Apr 1965) and Anna (Peschansky) Reichel (28 Sep 1899 – Mar 1983). His parents were both born at 'Russia-Vilna' (Vilnius, Lithuania) and both immigrated to America about 1903. His parents married at Brooklyn, New York on June 19, 1921. He had a sister, Edith (Reichel) Silverman (29 Dec 1925 – 4 Jul 2004). In 1925 the family lived at 296 Howard Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. In April 1930 the family lived with Edward Reichel's paternal grandparents, Louis and Hannah Reichel, on Green Acres Road in Ellenville, Wawarsing Township, Ulster County, New York. In 1940 the family lived on Ellenville Road in Spring Glen, New York, just south of Ellenville. Sam Reichel was a carpenter and owned a bungalow colony near Ellenville. There is a postcard of the Reichel Bungalow Colony which shows signs that announce "The Reichel Colony" and "Edward Building." Sam Reichel's brother-in-law, Max Hoffman, owned Hoffman Hotel and the bungalow colony called Tempo Cottages at nearby Honk Lake in Napanoch, New York.

Edward Reichel completed four years of high school and worked as a tinsmith, coppersmith, or sheet metal worker. He was single, without dependents, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at New York City, New York on October 1, 1942. He married after enlisting.

He completed Army Air Forces bombardier training, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant on November 23, 1943. He was then assigned to the heavy bomber crew of Lt Jay J. Hatfield in the 837th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group. The Hatfield crew completed B-24 crew training with the 487th Bomb Group at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico, and deployed with the Group to England in March 1944. They flew B-24H 41-28837 overseas 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 U.S. Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.

B-17G 43-37805 – 837th Bomb Squadron
• Hatfield, Jay J – 1/Lt – Pilot – POW
• McGinn, Clarence H – 2/Lt – Copilot – POW
• Reichel, Edward – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• Conway, Richard F – T/Sgt – Engineer – POW
• Ong Jr, Henry – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – POW
• Glover, Cecil O – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – POW
• Taber, John D – S/Sgt – Nose Gunner – POW
• Jamison, Charles D – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
• Kazmouz, Joseph – S/Sgt – Tail Gunner – POW

On August 6, 1944 the Hatfield crew flew B-17G 43-37805 on the 487th Bomb Group mission to bomb the Daimler-Benz industrial plant in the Marienfelde suburb of Berlin, Germany. This was the Hatfield crew's 30th and last scheduled combat mission. Their aircraft was shot down by flak just after bombs away over Berlin. Lt Reichel bailed out, but was injured by a flak fragment. He was taken prisoner and was moved to the German Air Force Hospital at Berlin-Reinickendorf West, where he was treated by the hospital medical officer. It was determined that a flak fragment had severely damaged his pelvic organs and caused internal hemorrhage. He died of circulatory failure at 0030 hours on August 8, 1944. He was buried initially at the Elsgrund Military Cemetery in Dφberitz (now Dallgow-Dφberitz), Germany, about 27 km west of Berlin.

After the war, his remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Anshe Tzaydik Cemetery on Route 209 in Wawarsing, Ulster County, New York, just north of Ellenville. He is buried next to his father.

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