Carl Alvin Pacharzina Jr. was born on January 8, 1923, in Austin, Travis County, Texas. He was the son of Carl Alvin Pacharzina and Nelrose Krueger Pacharzina. He was married to Doris Lee Boone Pacharzina. He worked in the Zale Jewelry company before enlisting in the service in November 1942. He served in the 762nd Bomber Squadron, 460th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Navigator of B-24 #42-51085 during World War II.

The B-24 #42-51085 “My Gloria” took off from Spinazzola, Italy, on a mission to bomb the Allach motor factory in Munich. They were hit by German flak during the bombing which caused a fire in two of the motors and fuel to leak into the fuselage. They attempted to return to Italy, but the problems worsened as the third engine started to falter so they diverted in the hopes of landing in neutral Switzerland. They parachuted out of the doomed plane at 1154 and the plane crashed 300 meters further near to this spot. The local French resistance immediately gathered the crew into hiding and they spent 34 days on the run with the resistance. See site Lac de la Fare for several memorials that tell the story of how the local french resistance assisted this crew of 11 to freedom. The area where they were hiding was eventually liberated by invading American forces and the crew made their way back to their unit in Spinazzola. The saga is recounted in the book “Eleven Americans who Fell from the Sky” by Pierre Montaz.

Carl served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II as a navigator, pilot, and later as a strategic planner, completing 31 years of service and retiring with the rank of Colonel. Following his military career, he spent 16 years with Rockwell International Aerospace Division before settling in Pinehurst upon his retirement in 1982. He was also an active member of the Order of Daedalians and the Retired Officers’ Association (TROA). He died on March 27, 2001, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, francecrashes39-45.net