Menu
  • Abous us
  • Search database
  • Resources
  • Donate
  • Faq

Christianson Roy W.

Name:
Roy W. Christianson
Rank:
Second Lieutenant
Serial Number:
O-790793
Unit:
360th Bomber Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, Heavy
Date of Death:
1943-01-23
State:
North Dakota
Cemetery:
Rock Island National Cemetery, Illinois
Plot:
D
Row:
Grave:
306B
Decoration:
Air Medal, Purple Heart
Comments:

2nd Lt Roy W. Christianson, co-pilot of the B-17 41-24567 “Beats Me”, took off from station 107 in Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, UK on a bombing run over the submarine pens of Lorient. The plane, named from the “Beats me” shrugs of the crew when asked what they wanted the name to be, was hit over the target area by a bomb dropped from a friendly aircraft that took out the tail and killed the tail gunner. Flipped upside down, the pilot managed to right them again but then both he and Christianson were killed by Fw-190 fighter attacks as the formation scattered to avoid further mishaps. The plane nosed over and slowly spun down to the forest floor around 1350, but not before three crew members bailed out.