Jerome Michael Gross was born on December 15, 1922, in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. He was the son of Lulu Berde Stiles Gross. He was married to Helen D. Latkovich Wenck.
Jerome graduated from St. Cloud Tech High School. He entered the service on January 12, 1942, and received his wings in June 1943. He participated in the D-Day bombing mission and successfully landed a plane with over 300 bullet holes in it. His fatal flight was the 6th plane he piloted.
The pilot of the B-26 Marauder #42-96289 on August 9, 1944, at around 11:45H, his crew took off from Station 492 in Hurn, England, for a mission to bomb a bridge in Pontoise, France. At 13:45H, their plane was shot down by flak. They attempted to crash-land, but they landed in an orchard at a place called La Vaubraie. The incident killed three crew members while the others were injured in the crash and hospitalized at La Pitié in Paris. 1Lt Gross was one of the casualties. He is now buried in the Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, USA.
Source of information: www.findagrave.com, francecrashes39-45.net