Osteen Richard Thacker, Jr.

Name:

Richard Thacker, Jr. Osteen

Rank:

First Lieutenant

Serial Number:

O-414588

Unit:

600th Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomber Group, Heavy

Date of Death:

1944-08-08

State:

South Carolina

Cemetery:

Woodlawn Memorial Park, Greenville, Greenville County, South Carolina, USA

Plot:

Section S, Plot 154

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Purple Heart

Comments:

Richard Thacker Osteen Jr. was born on April 12, 1920, in Greenville County, South Carolina. He was the son of Richard Thacker Osteen Sr. and Clara Emma "Dee" Barton Osteen. He served in the 600th Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a First Lieutenant and Co-Pilot of B-17 #42-97399 during World War II.

On August 8, 1944, during a bombing mission over France, the aircraft took off from Station 131 in Nuthampstead, Hertfordshire, UK. At 12:53 PM, while flying near La Chapelle-Engerbold in the commune of Condé-sur-Noireau (roughly 6 kilometers to the northwest), it was struck by German anti-aircraft fire. A direct hit between engines #1 and #2 set the wing ablaze, causing the aircraft to lose control and crash. Of the nine crew members on board, seven were killed in action, while the remaining two survived and were captured as prisoners of war.

1Lt Osteen was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Woodlawn Memorial Park, Greenville, Greenville County, South Carolina, USA. Richard T. Osteen's name is inscribed on the Anstey Window Memorial in Panel 2 (center), on Butterfly 13, in the top right wing (section B).

Source of information: http://francecrashes39-45.net/, www.398th.org