Wagner Charles Francis

Name:

Charles Francis Wagner

Rank:

Sergeant

Serial Number:

13146907

Unit:

602nd Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group

Date of Death:

1945-04-11

State:

Pennsylvania

Cemetery:

Saint Francis Xavier Cemetery, Cresson, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, USA

Plot:

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Purple Heart

Comments:

Charles Francis Wagner was born on February 18, 1926, in Oak Harbor, Ohio. He was the son of John Bertram Wagner and Emma Mae Gertrude Warner Wagner. He enlisted in the service on May 19, 1944. He served in the 602nd Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, as a Sergeant and Waist Gunner of B-17 #43-38664 during World War II.

On April 11, 1945, during a mission over Germany, the aircraft experienced mechanical failures in engines #3 and #4. These issues forced the crew to attempt an emergency landing near Mühldorf, Germany. The crash resulted in the deaths of three crew members, while the remaining seven crew members survived and were taken as prisoners of war.

Sgt Wagner was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Saint Francis Xavier Cemetery, Cresson, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, USA. Charles F. Wagner's name is inscribed on the Anstey Window Memorial in Panel 2 (center), on Butterfly 8, in the top right wing (section B).

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