Irwin Weiss was born on July 1, 1923. He was married to Harriet Weiss. He served in the 716th Bomber Squadron, 449th Bomber Group, as a Staff Sergeant and Right Waist Gunner of B-24J #42-64462 nicknamed “Stinky the B.T.O.” during World War II.

On February 22, 1944, the B-24J “Stinky the B.T.O.” joined the Regensburg mission during “Big Week.” On the return flight, the bomber was struck by flak and attacked by fighters before exploding in mid-air. It crashed near Wenigzell, Styria, Austria, resulting in the deaths of three crew members, while the remaining seven were captured and spent the rest of the war as prisoners of war.

SSgt Weiss was captured and imprisoned at Stalag Luft IV, Gross-Tychow, Pomerania, Prussia. He ended his military service as a Technical Sergeant. He died on March 24, 2007, and is now buried in the South Florida National Cemetery, Lake Worth Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida, USA.

Source of information: 449th.com, www.findagrave.com, aad.archives.gov