Name:
Earl Wallace “Bill” Underwood
Rank:
Technical Sergeant
Serial Number:
34201882
Unit:
36th Bomb Squadron, 482nd Bomb Group, Heavy
Date of Death:
1944-03-04
State:
Florida
Cemetery:
Epinal American Cemetery, Epinal, France
Plot:
A
Row:
18
Grave:
28
Decoration:
Purple Heart
Comments:
TSgt Earl W. Underwood, gunner of the B-24 Liberator 42-72863 “Jive Bomber II”, took off from station 102 Alconbury, Cambridgeshire UK at 2040 on a drop to the Cantal maquis near Felines. Despite the snowy weather, the mission went off smoothly. However, the plane was hit by flak between Thiville and Lutz-en-Dunois at 0140 and crashed, killing all aboard. The crew’s updated map on German anti-aircraft locations failed them as that particular battery was mobile and newly arrived in the region.