Name:
Laurence Elmer, Jr. Deats
Rank:
Second Lieutenant
Serial Number:
O-767506
Unit:
863rd Bomber Squadron, 493rd Bomber Group (Heavy)
Date of Death:
1944-09-12
State:
Texas
Cemetery:
Netherlands American Cemetery, Netherlands
Plot:
C
Row:
4
Grave:
3
Decoration:
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart
Comments:
Laurence Elmer Deats, Jr. was born on April 12, 1922, in Freeport, Texas. He was the son of Laurence E. Deats and Gertrude Alice Gullick Deats. He was married to Frances Augusta Malitz Peters.
Laurence Elmer, Jr. served in the 863rd Bomber Squadron, 493rd Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Co-Pilot on the B-17 #43-38261 during World War II. He was Killed in Action in Germany on September 12, 1944, when his airplane was shot down by an enemy aircraft and crashed. It resulted in the deaths of 8 airmen and 1 POW.
2Lt Deats is now buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands.
Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.americanairmuseum.com, www.abmc.gov