Francis served as a Corporal & Radio Operator on B-17 (#42-5783), Army Air Force Base, Gulfport, Mississippi, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Allegany County, Maryland prior to the war.
Francis died in the "Line Of Duty" when his B-17 caught firing during training causing the crew to bailout. Francis landed in Sabine Lake, Texas and died of drowning & exposure during the war.
Service # 13104976
Husband of Esther E. Burch.
Father of 5-yr-old Danny M. Burch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Airmen who perished on B-17 (#42-5783):
Burch, Francis M ~ Corp, Radio Operator, Maryland
Heavrin, Louis G ~ Corp, Kentucky
Richardson, Robert L ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, Texas
Vaughn, George R ~ 2nd Lt, Georgia
Villano, Gabriale A ~ Corp, New York
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Below Article found by: Charles Riend
The Daily Herald, Biloxi & Gulfport, Mississippi, page 5, col. 7:
~~Monday, January 29, 1945~~
Recover Bodies of Two Crewmen Who Bailed from Plane
Announcement was made at Gulfport Army Air Field over the week-end of the recovery Saturday in the Lake Sabine, Tex. area of the bodies of two crewmen who parachuted from a four-engine bomber the night of January 15.
They were identified as Cpl. Gabriaie A. Viliano of Auburn, NY. and Cpl. Francis M. Burch of University Park, Md.
Pfc. John P. Thacker of Birmingham, Ala, parachuted to safety and was found uninjured shortly afterwards.
Three other men are still missing. They are 2nd Lt. Robert L. Richardson, Athens, Tex.; 2nd Lt. George R. Vaughn, Winchester, Tenn., and Pfc. Louis G. Heavrin, Concordia, Ky.
The bodies of Corporal Villano and Corporal Burch were found by Coast Guard searching parties in the passes between Lake Sabine and the Gulf of Mexico.
Civil Air Patrol planes and Coast Guard and Army air-sea rescue parties are combining the area in search for the three missing men, using boats and swamp buggies in the hunt. The search area is netted by waterways and covered by high marsh grass, making progress difficult, it was stated.
The bomber was based on Gulfport Field. The men parachuted when an engine caught fire. The engine later dropped from the ship and three airmen who remained aboard landed the plane at Ellington Field, Tex.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
( Burial found by: Dan Phelan )
He resided in Allegany County, Maryland prior to the war.
Francis died in the "Line Of Duty" when his B-17 caught firing during training causing the crew to bailout. Francis landed in Sabine Lake, Texas and died of drowning & exposure during the war.
Service # 13104976
Husband of Esther E. Burch.
Father of 5-yr-old Danny M. Burch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Airmen who perished on B-17 (#42-5783):
Burch, Francis M ~ Corp, Radio Operator, Maryland
Heavrin, Louis G ~ Corp, Kentucky
Richardson, Robert L ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, Texas
Vaughn, George R ~ 2nd Lt, Georgia
Villano, Gabriale A ~ Corp, New York
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Below Article found by: Charles Riend
The Daily Herald, Biloxi & Gulfport, Mississippi, page 5, col. 7:
~~Monday, January 29, 1945~~
Recover Bodies of Two Crewmen Who Bailed from Plane
Announcement was made at Gulfport Army Air Field over the week-end of the recovery Saturday in the Lake Sabine, Tex. area of the bodies of two crewmen who parachuted from a four-engine bomber the night of January 15.
They were identified as Cpl. Gabriaie A. Viliano of Auburn, NY. and Cpl. Francis M. Burch of University Park, Md.
Pfc. John P. Thacker of Birmingham, Ala, parachuted to safety and was found uninjured shortly afterwards.
Three other men are still missing. They are 2nd Lt. Robert L. Richardson, Athens, Tex.; 2nd Lt. George R. Vaughn, Winchester, Tenn., and Pfc. Louis G. Heavrin, Concordia, Ky.
The bodies of Corporal Villano and Corporal Burch were found by Coast Guard searching parties in the passes between Lake Sabine and the Gulf of Mexico.
Civil Air Patrol planes and Coast Guard and Army air-sea rescue parties are combining the area in search for the three missing men, using boats and swamp buggies in the hunt. The search area is netted by waterways and covered by high marsh grass, making progress difficult, it was stated.
The bomber was based on Gulfport Field. The men parachuted when an engine caught fire. The engine later dropped from the ship and three airmen who remained aboard landed the plane at Ellington Field, Tex.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
( Burial found by: Dan Phelan )
Francis served as a Corporal & Radio Operator on B-17 (#42-5783), Army Air Force Base, Gulfport, Mississippi, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Allegany County, Maryland prior to the war.
Francis died in the "Line Of Duty" when his B-17 caught firing during training causing the crew to bailout. Francis landed in Sabine Lake, Texas and died of drowning & exposure during the war.
Service # 13104976
Husband of Esther E. Burch.
Father of 5-yr-old Danny M. Burch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Airmen who perished on B-17 (#42-5783):
Burch, Francis M ~ Corp, Radio Operator, Maryland
Heavrin, Louis G ~ Corp, Kentucky
Richardson, Robert L ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, Texas
Vaughn, George R ~ 2nd Lt, Georgia
Villano, Gabriale A ~ Corp, New York
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Below Article found by: Charles Riend
The Daily Herald, Biloxi & Gulfport, Mississippi, page 5, col. 7:
~~Monday, January 29, 1945~~
Recover Bodies of Two Crewmen Who Bailed from Plane
Announcement was made at Gulfport Army Air Field over the week-end of the recovery Saturday in the Lake Sabine, Tex. area of the bodies of two crewmen who parachuted from a four-engine bomber the night of January 15.
They were identified as Cpl. Gabriaie A. Viliano of Auburn, NY. and Cpl. Francis M. Burch of University Park, Md.
Pfc. John P. Thacker of Birmingham, Ala, parachuted to safety and was found uninjured shortly afterwards.
Three other men are still missing. They are 2nd Lt. Robert L. Richardson, Athens, Tex.; 2nd Lt. George R. Vaughn, Winchester, Tenn., and Pfc. Louis G. Heavrin, Concordia, Ky.
The bodies of Corporal Villano and Corporal Burch were found by Coast Guard searching parties in the passes between Lake Sabine and the Gulf of Mexico.
Civil Air Patrol planes and Coast Guard and Army air-sea rescue parties are combining the area in search for the three missing men, using boats and swamp buggies in the hunt. The search area is netted by waterways and covered by high marsh grass, making progress difficult, it was stated.
The bomber was based on Gulfport Field. The men parachuted when an engine caught fire. The engine later dropped from the ship and three airmen who remained aboard landed the plane at Ellington Field, Tex.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
( Burial found by: Dan Phelan )
He resided in Allegany County, Maryland prior to the war.
Francis died in the "Line Of Duty" when his B-17 caught firing during training causing the crew to bailout. Francis landed in Sabine Lake, Texas and died of drowning & exposure during the war.
Service # 13104976
Husband of Esther E. Burch.
Father of 5-yr-old Danny M. Burch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Airmen who perished on B-17 (#42-5783):
Burch, Francis M ~ Corp, Radio Operator, Maryland
Heavrin, Louis G ~ Corp, Kentucky
Richardson, Robert L ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, Texas
Vaughn, George R ~ 2nd Lt, Georgia
Villano, Gabriale A ~ Corp, New York
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Below Article found by: Charles Riend
The Daily Herald, Biloxi & Gulfport, Mississippi, page 5, col. 7:
~~Monday, January 29, 1945~~
Recover Bodies of Two Crewmen Who Bailed from Plane
Announcement was made at Gulfport Army Air Field over the week-end of the recovery Saturday in the Lake Sabine, Tex. area of the bodies of two crewmen who parachuted from a four-engine bomber the night of January 15.
They were identified as Cpl. Gabriaie A. Viliano of Auburn, NY. and Cpl. Francis M. Burch of University Park, Md.
Pfc. John P. Thacker of Birmingham, Ala, parachuted to safety and was found uninjured shortly afterwards.
Three other men are still missing. They are 2nd Lt. Robert L. Richardson, Athens, Tex.; 2nd Lt. George R. Vaughn, Winchester, Tenn., and Pfc. Louis G. Heavrin, Concordia, Ky.
The bodies of Corporal Villano and Corporal Burch were found by Coast Guard searching parties in the passes between Lake Sabine and the Gulf of Mexico.
Civil Air Patrol planes and Coast Guard and Army air-sea rescue parties are combining the area in search for the three missing men, using boats and swamp buggies in the hunt. The search area is netted by waterways and covered by high marsh grass, making progress difficult, it was stated.
The bomber was based on Gulfport Field. The men parachuted when an engine caught fire. The engine later dropped from the ship and three airmen who remained aboard landed the plane at Ellington Field, Tex.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
( Burial found by: Dan Phelan )
Family Members
Other Records
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
