Spontak Joseph

Monuments

B-24 (42-52498) 'Sugar Baby' Crash Site Marker (Tyrol Air Battle)

Name:

Joseph Spontak

Rank:

Second Lieutenant

Serial Number:

Unit:

780th Bomber Squadron, 465th Bomber Group, Heavy

Date of Death:

2014-12-27

State:

Pennsylvania

Cemetery:

Crest Lawn Memorial Gardens, Marriottsville, Howard County, Maryland, USA

Plot:

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Comments:

Joseph Spontak was born on May 11, 1924, in Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, USA. He was the husband of Anna Mary Harding Spontak.

Joseph served in the 780th Bomber Squadron, 465th Bomber Group, as a Second Lieutenant and Navigator on the B-24 "Sugar Baby" #42-52498 during World War II.

On August 3, 1944, his crew took off from Pantanella, Italy, on a bombing mission over Friedrichshafen, Germany. On their return, they were attacked and shot down by German aircraft. His aircraft crashed at Brendlkar, Tyrol, Austria. His crew lost 2 members in this incident while the remaining were taken as prisoners, including 2Lt Spontak. Some sources of information reference the location of the crash as Ehrwald.

2Lt Spontak died on December 27, 2014, at the age of 90, and is now buried in the Crest Lawn Memorial Gardens, Marriottsville, Howard County, Maryland, USA. He attained his highest rank in the military as a First Lieutenant.