Joseph J. Brunner was born in Los Angeles, California, and served in the 784th Bomb Squadron, 466th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Navigator of B-24H #42-52596 nicknamed ''Mammy Yokum'' during World War II.

On April 8, 1944, B-24H Liberator Mammy Yokum, piloted by Second Lieutenant Robert E. Bryans, was shot down over Germany while participating in a combat mission with the United States Eighth Air Force. Operating from RAF Attlebridge in Norfolk, England, the aircraft came under attack from a German Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 fighter while flying over northern Germany. The Liberator sustained fatal damage and crashed approximately two kilometers north of Lehmbruch, south of Diepholz, Germany, although some historical records associate the crash with the Oldenburg area. Of the ten crew members aboard, six were killed in action, while the remaining four successfully parachuted from the stricken bomber. The survivors were subsequently captured by German forces and held as prisoners of war.

2Lt Brunner was Killed in Action and currently, we don't have details about his burial location.

Sources of information: www.findagrave.com, www.readkong.com, www.crouze.com