Marshall served as a Staff Sergeant & Top Turret Gunner on B-24 #41-28778, 564th Bomber Group, 389th Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Louisiana prior to the war.
B-24 #41-28778 was hit by flak over the target, a Methanol processing building in I G Farben chemical works, Ludwigshafen, Germany. The aircraft left the formation just after bombs away with #3 engine and the bomb bay on fire.
"Based on eyewitness accounts the crew bailed out except for the below two airmen".
S/Sgt Louis F. Koch was fighting the fire in the bomb bay. Top Turret Gunner S/Sgt Marshall A. Tharpe entered the bomb bay to help. Apparently, Tharpe's parachute opened inside the plane, engulfed both men in flames and trapped them in the bomb bay. The plane exploded in mid-air before crashing 3 kilometers north of Viernheim, Germany.
Marshall was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
He was originally interred overseas and was later repatriated here on March 23, 1950.
Service # 18134525
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24 #41-28778:
Koch, Louis F ~ T/Sgt, Left Waist Gunner, PA
Tharpe, Marshall A ~ S/Sgt, Top Turret Gunner, LA
The rest of the crew became POW's.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
Special thanks to:
John C. Anderson for submitting this record for bio updates!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Louisiana prior to the war.
B-24 #41-28778 was hit by flak over the target, a Methanol processing building in I G Farben chemical works, Ludwigshafen, Germany. The aircraft left the formation just after bombs away with #3 engine and the bomb bay on fire.
"Based on eyewitness accounts the crew bailed out except for the below two airmen".
S/Sgt Louis F. Koch was fighting the fire in the bomb bay. Top Turret Gunner S/Sgt Marshall A. Tharpe entered the bomb bay to help. Apparently, Tharpe's parachute opened inside the plane, engulfed both men in flames and trapped them in the bomb bay. The plane exploded in mid-air before crashing 3 kilometers north of Viernheim, Germany.
Marshall was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
He was originally interred overseas and was later repatriated here on March 23, 1950.
Service # 18134525
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24 #41-28778:
Koch, Louis F ~ T/Sgt, Left Waist Gunner, PA
Tharpe, Marshall A ~ S/Sgt, Top Turret Gunner, LA
The rest of the crew became POW's.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
Special thanks to:
John C. Anderson for submitting this record for bio updates!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marshall served as a Staff Sergeant & Top Turret Gunner on B-24 #41-28778, 564th Bomber Group, 389th Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Louisiana prior to the war.
B-24 #41-28778 was hit by flak over the target, a Methanol processing building in I G Farben chemical works, Ludwigshafen, Germany. The aircraft left the formation just after bombs away with #3 engine and the bomb bay on fire.
"Based on eyewitness accounts the crew bailed out except for the below two airmen".
S/Sgt Louis F. Koch was fighting the fire in the bomb bay. Top Turret Gunner S/Sgt Marshall A. Tharpe entered the bomb bay to help. Apparently, Tharpe's parachute opened inside the plane, engulfed both men in flames and trapped them in the bomb bay. The plane exploded in mid-air before crashing 3 kilometers north of Viernheim, Germany.
Marshall was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
He was originally interred overseas and was later repatriated here on March 23, 1950.
Service # 18134525
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24 #41-28778:
Koch, Louis F ~ T/Sgt, Left Waist Gunner, PA
Tharpe, Marshall A ~ S/Sgt, Top Turret Gunner, LA
The rest of the crew became POW's.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
Special thanks to:
John C. Anderson for submitting this record for bio updates!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Louisiana prior to the war.
B-24 #41-28778 was hit by flak over the target, a Methanol processing building in I G Farben chemical works, Ludwigshafen, Germany. The aircraft left the formation just after bombs away with #3 engine and the bomb bay on fire.
"Based on eyewitness accounts the crew bailed out except for the below two airmen".
S/Sgt Louis F. Koch was fighting the fire in the bomb bay. Top Turret Gunner S/Sgt Marshall A. Tharpe entered the bomb bay to help. Apparently, Tharpe's parachute opened inside the plane, engulfed both men in flames and trapped them in the bomb bay. The plane exploded in mid-air before crashing 3 kilometers north of Viernheim, Germany.
Marshall was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
He was originally interred overseas and was later repatriated here on March 23, 1950.
Service # 18134525
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24 #41-28778:
Koch, Louis F ~ T/Sgt, Left Waist Gunner, PA
Tharpe, Marshall A ~ S/Sgt, Top Turret Gunner, LA
The rest of the crew became POW's.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
Special thanks to:
John C. Anderson for submitting this record for bio updates!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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