Brown Melvin P.

Name:

Melvin P. Brown

Rank:

Staff Sergeant

Serial Number:

12185250

Unit:

603rd Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group

Date of Death:

1944-10-15

State:

New York

Cemetery:

Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial, Coton, South Cambridgeshire District, Cambridgeshire, England

Plot:

D

Row:

5

Grave:

34

Decoration:

Air Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart

Comments:

Melvin P. Brown was born in 1924, in New York. He enlisted in the service on November 13, 1942. He served in the 603rd Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Tail Gunner of B-17 #42-97746 during World War II.

On October 15, 1944, B-17 #42-97746 took off from RAF Nuthampstead for a mission targeting Cologne. Shortly after becoming airborne, the aircraft experienced a sudden loss of power in all four engines. Unable to maintain altitude, the bomber crashed into the moat surrounding the medieval Anstey Castle Mound, near the village of Anstey, Hertfordshire. The aircraft exploded upon impact, resulting in the deaths of all ten crew members on board.

SSgt Brown is now buried in the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial, Coton, South Cambridgeshire District, Cambridgeshire, England. Melvin P. Brown's name is inscribed on the Anstey Window Memorial in Panel 3 (right), on Butterfly 26, in the top right wing (section B).

Source of information: www.e-bound.co.uk, www.398th.org