John Joseph Trautner was born on August 17, 1920, in Saint Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota. He was the son of George Harold Trautner and Anna Cecilia Schmid Trautner. He was married to Kathryn Pearl Knox Salcur. He served in the 739th Bomber Squadron, 454th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Captain and Navigator of B-24 #42-51132 during World War II. He completed 25 combat missions and volunteered for an additional 25.

On July 20, 1944, the U.S. Army Air Forces Consolidated B-24 #42-51132, which had departed from San Giovanni Airfield in southern Italy, was shot down by German anti-aircraft artillery (flak) while on a bombing mission over the Friedrichshafen area of southern Germany, part of the Allied strategic bombing campaign targeting German war-materiel industries. The intense flak fire inflicted critical damage on the bomber, forcing its eleven-member crew to bail out over Switzerland; the entire crew successfully parachuted to safety and survived, though at least one crewman sustained moderate injuries upon landing. Swiss authorities subsequently interned the crew members, while the unmanned bomber continued and crashed on this hillside known as Prestberg (Brastberg), where it was destroyed.

Despite suffering a broken ankle and requiring crutches, Cpt Trautner later escaped internment and returned to the Allied side. He returned to active duty and retired from the U.S. Air Force with the rank of Major. He died on February 15, 1992, and is now buried in the Oakwood Memorial Park, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California, USA.

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