Patterson Rufus Lenoir, III

Monuments

Anglo-American Memorial 1939-1945 (65th Fighter Wing)

Name:

Rufus Lenoir, III Patterson

Rank:

Second Lieutenant

Serial Number:

O-815755

Unit:

336th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group

Date of Death:

1944-09-11

State:

Virginia

Cemetery:

Church On the Hill Cemetery, Lenox, Massachusetts

Plot:

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Air Medal, Purple Heart

Comments:

Rufus Lenoir Patterson, III was born on August 11, 1922. He was the son of Morehead Patterson and Elsie Parsons Kennedy. A graduate of Groton School and former student at Harvard University, he was married to Mae Gouverneur Cadwalader Hollenback in June 1942 and had one child.

Rufus served in the 336th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, as a Second Lieutenant during World War II. On September 11, 1944, while strafing Langensalza Airdrome in Germany, his aircraft was struck by flak. With engine afire and streaming glycol, he “pulled up to 200 feet, rolled on his back and left the aircraft,” according to his section leader. Though he used his chute, it had not fully opened when he was seen to hit the ground and roll.

2Lt Patterson is now buried in the Church On the Hill Cemetery, Lenox, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, 4thfightergroupassociation.org