Gustafson John Virgil

Name:

John Virgil Gustafson

Rank:

Second Lieutenant

Serial Number:

O-717945

Unit:

603rd Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group

Date of Death:

1945-03-02

State:

Illinois

Cemetery:

Camp Nelson National Cemetery, Nicholasville, Jessamine County, Kentucky, USA

Plot:

Section D

Row:

Grave:

Site 55

Decoration:

Purple Heart

Comments:

John Virgil Gustafson was born on January 20, 1920, in Mercer County, Illinois. He was the son of John Wolford Gustafson and Anna Amelia Erickson Gustafson. He was married to Lela Blanche Brown Hyder. He served in the 603rd Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Bombardier of B-17 #44-6573 during World War II.

On March 2, 1945, the aircraft was lost during a bombing mission over Germany. The aircraft was shot down by enemy fighters near Chemnitz, Germany, and crashed near Slanı, close to Karlovy in what is now the Czech Republic.

2Lt Gustafson was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Camp Nelson National Cemetery, Nicholasville, Jessamine County, Kentucky, USA. John V. Gustafson's name is inscribed on the Anstey Window Memorial in Panel 1 (left), on Butterfly 2, in the top left wing (section A).

Source of information:www.americanairmuseum.com, www.398th.org