Hawthorne Victor Cecil

Name:

Victor Cecil Hawthorne

Rank:

Corporal

Serial Number:

Unit:

344th Bomber Squadron, 98th Bomber Group

Date of Death:

1944-05-29

State:

Pennsylvania

Cemetery:

Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA

Plot:

Section E

Row:

Grave:

Site 241

Decoration:

Comments:

Victor Cecil Hawthorne was born on August 10, 1923, in Titusville, Crawford County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Victor Leroy Hawthorne and Cecil B. Howard Morehead. He served in the 344th Bomber Squadron, 98th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Corporal and Nose Gunner of B-24 #42-73416 during World War II.

On May 29, 1944, the aircraft participated in a bombing raid over Wiener Neustadt, Austria, a key center for German military aircraft production during World War II. While carrying out the mission, the B-24 came under enemy attack and was shot down over Austrian territory. It eventually crashed near the town of Fischbach, located in the state of Styria (Steiermark). Four crew members lost their lives in the crash, while the others survived and were taken prisoner by German forces.

Cpl Hawthorne was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA.

Source of information: mail.aviation-safety.net, www.findagrave.com