Albert Francis “Pappy” Paplaskas was born on May 26, 1921, in Methuen, Essex County, Massachusetts. He was the son of Benediktas Paplauskas and Warenika "Veronika" Galman Paplauskas. He served in the 527th Bomber Squadron, 379th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Left Waist Gunner of B-17G #42-39782 nicknamed "Pistol Packin' Mama" during World War II.

On February 8, 1944, the B-17 Pistol Packin' Mama was shot down during Mission #214, which targeted Frankfurt, Germany. The bomber departed at 08:15 from Station 117 in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, UK. While flying over the Oise department in France—west of the commune of Amy and southeast of Roye—it came under attack by a German Fw 190 fighter. The crew began to bail out from an altitude of 22,000 feet around 10:25; however, one member was killed during the initial assault. It is believed that one of the attacking fighters may have fired on the parachuting crew, resulting in additional fatalities.

SSgt Paplakas was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial, Neuville-en-Condroz, Arrondissement de Liège, Liège, Belgium.

Source of information: http://francecrashes39-45.net/