Petrauskas Victor Charles

Name:

Victor Charles Petrauskas

Rank:

Staff Sergeant

Serial Number:

31324095

Unit:

603rd Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group

Date of Death:

1944-10-15

State:

Connecticut

Cemetery:

Calvary Cemetery, Waterbury, New Haven County, Connecticut, USA

Plot:

Section 38

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Purple Heart

Comments:

Victor Charles Petrauskas was born on September 7, 1922, in Waterbury, New Haven County, Connecticut. He was the son of Charles Petrauskas and Kazemiera Petrauskas. He enlisted in the service on February 18, 1943. He served in the 603rd Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Ball Turret Gunner of B-17 #42-97746 during World War II.

On October 15, 1944, the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from RAF Nuthampstead (Station 131) in Hertfordshire, England. The aircraft was en route to a bombing mission over Cologne, Germany. Tragically, the plane crashed into the moat at Anstey, Hertfordshire, and exploded, resulting in the deaths of all ten crew members on board.

SSgt Petrauskas is now buried in the Calvary Cemetery, Waterbury, New Haven County, Connecticut, USA. Victor C. Petrauskas' name is inscribed on the Anstey Window Memorial in Panel 3 (right), on Butterfly 22, in the top right wing (section B).

Source of information: www.americanairmuseum.com, b17flyingfortress.de, www.398th.org