Cletus T. Nitsch was born on March 5, 1916, in Maryland. He was the son of Cletus J. Nitsch and Elizabeth M. Schaeffer Nitsch. Cletus served in the 565th Bomber Squadron, 389th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant during World War II. He also served as a Waist Gunner of the B-24D-165-CO #4272866 or also known as ''Jackass Male''.
On April 1, 1944, his plane was assigned to bomb Ludwigshafen, Germany, but had a secondary mission to photograph the German V1 missile site at Siracourt, France. During this mission, the aircraft was struck by German anti-aircraft fire and crashed. Of the 11 crew members, only three survived, SSgt Nitsch was one of those instantly killed. SSgt Nitsch is now buried in the Baltimore National Cemetery, Baltimore, Baltimore City, Maryland, USA.