Joseph Philip Merkle was born on September 20, 1917, in Baltimore, City of Baltimore, Maryland. He was the son of Joseph Leo Merkle. A graduate of Mount Rainier High School, he had worked in the accounting department of the Government Printing Office before entering military service immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He received his pilot wings and commission at Luke Field, Phoenix, Arizona. He served in the 343rd Bomber Squadron, 98th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Pilot of B-24 #42-64483 during World War II.

On February 22, 1944, during the Allied air offensive known as Big Week, a B-24H #42-64483 was flying a combat bombing mission against the Messerschmitt aircraft factory at Regensburg, Germany. Only minutes before reaching the target, the bomber encountered intense German defenses and was struck by heavy anti-aircraft flak while also being attacked by numerous enemy fighter aircraft. The Liberator sustained severe damage, caught fire, and shortly afterward exploded in mid-air, crashing near Bukovec. The crash killed ten members of the crew, with only one surviving.

2Lt Merkle was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial, Saint-Avold, Département de la Moselle, Lorraine, France.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.aviation-safety.net, weremember.abmc.gov