Alphonse J. Lanteigne was born in September 1921. He was the son of Alexis Lanteigne and Georgina Lanteigne. He was married to Ann D. Lanteigne. He served in the 723rd Bomber Squadron, 450th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Technical Sergeant and Radio Operator of B-24 #41-29226 nicknamed ''Leaky Tub'' during World War II.

On February 23, 1944, the B-24 Liberator “Leaky Tub” was lost during a bombing mission over Austria. Flying out of Manduria Airfield in southern Italy, the aircraft was part of a large 15th Air Force formation targeting heavily defended industrial and transportation sites in southern Germany and Austria. As the formation crossed into Austrian airspace near Steyr, “Leaky Tub” came under intense fire from German fighters and anti-aircraft guns. The aircraft sustained heavy damage and ultimately went down near the Kematen an der Krems/Lambach area. Of the eleven crew members aboard, ten were killed in action, while one survived and was taken as a prisoner of war.

TSgt Lanteigne was captured and became a prisoner of war, held at Stalag Luft IV in Gross-Tychow, located in Pomerania, Prussia. He died in 1976 and is now buried in the Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Berlin, Camden County, New Jersey, USA.Source of information: www.450thbg.com, www.facebook.com/Aviano Air Base, www.findagrave.com