Leif Harald Hoklin, of South Dakota, was born on February 19, 1920. He served in the 359th Bomber Squadron, 303rd Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Ball Turret Gunner on the B-17F #41-24608 'Yahoodi' during World War II.

On January 3, 1943, his crew took off from RAF Molesworth in England on a mission to attack the St-Nazaire submarine base in France. At around 11:30 AM, they were shot down by flak and enemy fighters, and their plane crashed in the town of Batz-sur-Mer - 10 km south of Le Croisic. The incident resulted in the deaths of seven crew members. The rest were able to survive but were captured by the Germans. SSgt Hoklin was one of the survivors. He was taken to Stalag Luft III in Zagan, Poland.

Source of information: francecrashes39-45.net