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Dallaqua Homer Wilson

Name:
Homer Wilson Dallaqua
Rank:
Second Lieutenant
Serial Number:
O-690377
Unit:
734th Bomber Squadron, 453rd Bomber Group, Heavy
Date of Death:
2007-04-04
State:
Michigan
Cemetery:
Plot:
Row:
Grave:
Decoration:
Air Medal, Purple Heart, POW Medal
Comments:

Homer Wilson Dallacqua was born on November 12, 1921, in Chicago, Illinois. He enlisted in the service on April 14, 1942. He served in the 734th Bomb Squadron, 453rd Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Navigator of B-24H #42-52226 during World War II.

On March 6, 1944, B-24H-10-FO Liberator #42-52226 departed from its base at RAF Old Buckenham, England, as part of a large bombing mission targeting industrial facilities at Genshagen, near Berlin, Germany. During the return flight, the formation came under heavy attack from German fighter aircraft and intense anti-aircraft fire. In the course of these engagements, the Liberator was hit and became separated from the protective bomber formation, leaving it more vulnerable to continued enemy attack. After sustaining severe damage, the crew lost control of the aircraft. Unable to maintain altitude or return safely to England, the Liberator crashed into the IJsselmeer, a large inland body of water in the Netherlands, approximately 4 kilometers northeast of Edam. The crash resulted in the deaths of several crew members, while others were able to escape the aircraft and were either rescued or later captured by German forces and taken prisoner.

2Lt Dallacqua successfully bailed out of the aircraft and was rescued from the water by Dutch fishermen along with Anderson and Cripe. However, they were immediately taken into custody by a German sea patrol boat. He was subsequently interned as a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft I in Barth, Germany. He died on April 4, 2007, and currently, we don't have details about his burial location.

Source of information: americanarchive.iwm.org.uk