Sergeant Charles Vernon Owen, Army serial number 17055306, was born at Pawnee City, Pawnee County, Nebraska on September 11, 1922. His parents were John Pierport 'Jack' Owen (24 May 1891 – 23 Dec 1959), who was born in Missouri; and Elizabeth M. (Brule) Owen (28 Mar 1895 – 10 Apr 1966), who was born in Nebraska. His parents married in Nebraska about 1919. He had three brothers: John Leroy Owen (10 May 1920 – 27 Jan 1975), Paul Robert Owen (2 May 1921 – 10 Jun 1981), and William Duane Owen (3 Apr 1928 – 5 Apr 2015). In 1930 the family lived on a farm in Lusk, Niobara County, Wyoming, and his father was a day laborer. His paternal grandfather, Levi Franklin Owen (23 Apr 1852 – 22 Jan 1943), lived with the family. In April 1940 the family lived in Douglas, Converse County, Wyoming, and his father was a farmer on his own ranch.
He graduated from Converse County High School, Douglas, Wyoming in 1940. He registered for the draft at Douglas, Wyoming on June 27, 1942. He was 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighed 145 pounds, and had gray eyes and blonde hair. At that time he lived with his parents and worked on the family farm. He worked as a farm manager or foreman and was single when he enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Santa Ana, California on March 19, 1943.
He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training, and was assigned as nose gunner and togglier on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Joseph M. Sugarman Jr. The Sugarman crew completed B-17 operational training at Avon Park, Florida, and deployed to England in January 1945. The crew was assigned to the 839th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 by February 13, 1945, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.
On March 11, 1945, the 487th Bomb Group dispatched forty aircraft to bomb an industrial area and shipyards on the south bank of the Elbe River in Hamburg, Germany. This was the fifth combat mission for the Sugarman crew. Here is the crew roster on that day:
B-17G 43-38888 – 839th Bomb Squadron
• Sugarman Jr, Joseph M – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Crosland Jr, William S – F/O – Copilot – KIA
• Barnett, James S – F/O – Navigator – KIA
• Owen, Charles V – Sgt – Togglier – KIA
• Stanton, Willard W – S/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Schlotte, Harvey F – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – POW
• Mau, Eldon A – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Yaegle, Clyde L – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Berger, Robert M – Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Simac, Edward A – Sgt – Tail Gunner – KIA
Sgt Owen and eight of his crewmates were killed in action on March 11, 1945 when their aircraft, B-17G 43-38888, was shot down by flak at Hamburg, Germany. Sgt Owen was probably killed instantly when flak struck the nose or flight deck. The aircraft crashed at 1310 hours near Meckelfeld, about 20 kilometers south of Hamburg. The radio operator, T/Sgt Harvey F. Schlotte, survived and became a prisoner of war. The dead were buried initially at the cemetery in Sinstorf, a southern suburb of Hamburg.
After the war Sgt Owen's remains were reinterred at Ardennes American Cemetery, Belgium in Plot D, Row 13, Grave 44. There is another photo of his grave posted on the 487th Bomb Group website.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1930 US Census; Wyoming; Niobara County; Lusk. Owen, Jack. 22 Apr 1930 (his father)
3. 1940 US Census; Wyoming; Converse County; Douglas; District 23. Owen, John. 4 Apr 1940 (his father)
4. American Battle Monuments Commission
5. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
6. Enlistment Record of Charles V. Owen
7. Mundia.com (ancestry.com) profiles of Charles Vernon Owen (1923–1945)
8. Social Security Death Index
9. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 12979.
10. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
11. U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900–1999 (ancestry.com): Bearcat [yearbook]. Douglas WY: Converse County High School, 1938 (his sophomore year, Class of 1940)
12. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
13. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
He graduated from Converse County High School, Douglas, Wyoming in 1940. He registered for the draft at Douglas, Wyoming on June 27, 1942. He was 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighed 145 pounds, and had gray eyes and blonde hair. At that time he lived with his parents and worked on the family farm. He worked as a farm manager or foreman and was single when he enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Santa Ana, California on March 19, 1943.
He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training, and was assigned as nose gunner and togglier on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Joseph M. Sugarman Jr. The Sugarman crew completed B-17 operational training at Avon Park, Florida, and deployed to England in January 1945. The crew was assigned to the 839th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 by February 13, 1945, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.
On March 11, 1945, the 487th Bomb Group dispatched forty aircraft to bomb an industrial area and shipyards on the south bank of the Elbe River in Hamburg, Germany. This was the fifth combat mission for the Sugarman crew. Here is the crew roster on that day:
B-17G 43-38888 – 839th Bomb Squadron
• Sugarman Jr, Joseph M – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Crosland Jr, William S – F/O – Copilot – KIA
• Barnett, James S – F/O – Navigator – KIA
• Owen, Charles V – Sgt – Togglier – KIA
• Stanton, Willard W – S/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Schlotte, Harvey F – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – POW
• Mau, Eldon A – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Yaegle, Clyde L – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Berger, Robert M – Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Simac, Edward A – Sgt – Tail Gunner – KIA
Sgt Owen and eight of his crewmates were killed in action on March 11, 1945 when their aircraft, B-17G 43-38888, was shot down by flak at Hamburg, Germany. Sgt Owen was probably killed instantly when flak struck the nose or flight deck. The aircraft crashed at 1310 hours near Meckelfeld, about 20 kilometers south of Hamburg. The radio operator, T/Sgt Harvey F. Schlotte, survived and became a prisoner of war. The dead were buried initially at the cemetery in Sinstorf, a southern suburb of Hamburg.
After the war Sgt Owen's remains were reinterred at Ardennes American Cemetery, Belgium in Plot D, Row 13, Grave 44. There is another photo of his grave posted on the 487th Bomb Group website.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1930 US Census; Wyoming; Niobara County; Lusk. Owen, Jack. 22 Apr 1930 (his father)
3. 1940 US Census; Wyoming; Converse County; Douglas; District 23. Owen, John. 4 Apr 1940 (his father)
4. American Battle Monuments Commission
5. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
6. Enlistment Record of Charles V. Owen
7. Mundia.com (ancestry.com) profiles of Charles Vernon Owen (1923–1945)
8. Social Security Death Index
9. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 12979.
10. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
11. U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900–1999 (ancestry.com): Bearcat [yearbook]. Douglas WY: Converse County High School, 1938 (his sophomore year, Class of 1940)
12. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
13. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Sergeant Charles Vernon Owen, Army serial number 17055306, was born at Pawnee City, Pawnee County, Nebraska on September 11, 1922. His parents were John Pierport 'Jack' Owen (24 May 1891 – 23 Dec 1959), who was born in Missouri; and Elizabeth M. (Brule) Owen (28 Mar 1895 – 10 Apr 1966), who was born in Nebraska. His parents married in Nebraska about 1919. He had three brothers: John Leroy Owen (10 May 1920 – 27 Jan 1975), Paul Robert Owen (2 May 1921 – 10 Jun 1981), and William Duane Owen (3 Apr 1928 – 5 Apr 2015). In 1930 the family lived on a farm in Lusk, Niobara County, Wyoming, and his father was a day laborer. His paternal grandfather, Levi Franklin Owen (23 Apr 1852 – 22 Jan 1943), lived with the family. In April 1940 the family lived in Douglas, Converse County, Wyoming, and his father was a farmer on his own ranch.
He graduated from Converse County High School, Douglas, Wyoming in 1940. He registered for the draft at Douglas, Wyoming on June 27, 1942. He was 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighed 145 pounds, and had gray eyes and blonde hair. At that time he lived with his parents and worked on the family farm. He worked as a farm manager or foreman and was single when he enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Santa Ana, California on March 19, 1943.
He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training, and was assigned as nose gunner and togglier on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Joseph M. Sugarman Jr. The Sugarman crew completed B-17 operational training at Avon Park, Florida, and deployed to England in January 1945. The crew was assigned to the 839th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 by February 13, 1945, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.
On March 11, 1945, the 487th Bomb Group dispatched forty aircraft to bomb an industrial area and shipyards on the south bank of the Elbe River in Hamburg, Germany. This was the fifth combat mission for the Sugarman crew. Here is the crew roster on that day:
B-17G 43-38888 – 839th Bomb Squadron
• Sugarman Jr, Joseph M – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Crosland Jr, William S – F/O – Copilot – KIA
• Barnett, James S – F/O – Navigator – KIA
• Owen, Charles V – Sgt – Togglier – KIA
• Stanton, Willard W – S/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Schlotte, Harvey F – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – POW
• Mau, Eldon A – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Yaegle, Clyde L – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Berger, Robert M – Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Simac, Edward A – Sgt – Tail Gunner – KIA
Sgt Owen and eight of his crewmates were killed in action on March 11, 1945 when their aircraft, B-17G 43-38888, was shot down by flak at Hamburg, Germany. Sgt Owen was probably killed instantly when flak struck the nose or flight deck. The aircraft crashed at 1310 hours near Meckelfeld, about 20 kilometers south of Hamburg. The radio operator, T/Sgt Harvey F. Schlotte, survived and became a prisoner of war. The dead were buried initially at the cemetery in Sinstorf, a southern suburb of Hamburg.
After the war Sgt Owen's remains were reinterred at Ardennes American Cemetery, Belgium in Plot D, Row 13, Grave 44. There is another photo of his grave posted on the 487th Bomb Group website.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1930 US Census; Wyoming; Niobara County; Lusk. Owen, Jack. 22 Apr 1930 (his father)
3. 1940 US Census; Wyoming; Converse County; Douglas; District 23. Owen, John. 4 Apr 1940 (his father)
4. American Battle Monuments Commission
5. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
6. Enlistment Record of Charles V. Owen
7. Mundia.com (ancestry.com) profiles of Charles Vernon Owen (1923–1945)
8. Social Security Death Index
9. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 12979.
10. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
11. U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900–1999 (ancestry.com): Bearcat [yearbook]. Douglas WY: Converse County High School, 1938 (his sophomore year, Class of 1940)
12. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
13. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
He graduated from Converse County High School, Douglas, Wyoming in 1940. He registered for the draft at Douglas, Wyoming on June 27, 1942. He was 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighed 145 pounds, and had gray eyes and blonde hair. At that time he lived with his parents and worked on the family farm. He worked as a farm manager or foreman and was single when he enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Santa Ana, California on March 19, 1943.
He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training, and was assigned as nose gunner and togglier on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Joseph M. Sugarman Jr. The Sugarman crew completed B-17 operational training at Avon Park, Florida, and deployed to England in January 1945. The crew was assigned to the 839th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 by February 13, 1945, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.
On March 11, 1945, the 487th Bomb Group dispatched forty aircraft to bomb an industrial area and shipyards on the south bank of the Elbe River in Hamburg, Germany. This was the fifth combat mission for the Sugarman crew. Here is the crew roster on that day:
B-17G 43-38888 – 839th Bomb Squadron
• Sugarman Jr, Joseph M – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Crosland Jr, William S – F/O – Copilot – KIA
• Barnett, James S – F/O – Navigator – KIA
• Owen, Charles V – Sgt – Togglier – KIA
• Stanton, Willard W – S/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Schlotte, Harvey F – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – POW
• Mau, Eldon A – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Yaegle, Clyde L – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Berger, Robert M – Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Simac, Edward A – Sgt – Tail Gunner – KIA
Sgt Owen and eight of his crewmates were killed in action on March 11, 1945 when their aircraft, B-17G 43-38888, was shot down by flak at Hamburg, Germany. Sgt Owen was probably killed instantly when flak struck the nose or flight deck. The aircraft crashed at 1310 hours near Meckelfeld, about 20 kilometers south of Hamburg. The radio operator, T/Sgt Harvey F. Schlotte, survived and became a prisoner of war. The dead were buried initially at the cemetery in Sinstorf, a southern suburb of Hamburg.
After the war Sgt Owen's remains were reinterred at Ardennes American Cemetery, Belgium in Plot D, Row 13, Grave 44. There is another photo of his grave posted on the 487th Bomb Group website.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1930 US Census; Wyoming; Niobara County; Lusk. Owen, Jack. 22 Apr 1930 (his father)
3. 1940 US Census; Wyoming; Converse County; Douglas; District 23. Owen, John. 4 Apr 1940 (his father)
4. American Battle Monuments Commission
5. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
6. Enlistment Record of Charles V. Owen
7. Mundia.com (ancestry.com) profiles of Charles Vernon Owen (1923–1945)
8. Social Security Death Index
9. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 12979.
10. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
11. U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900–1999 (ancestry.com): Bearcat [yearbook]. Douglas WY: Converse County High School, 1938 (his sophomore year, Class of 1940)
12. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
13. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Inscription
CHARLES V. OWEN
SGT 839 BOMB SQ 487 BOMB GP (H)
WYOMING MAR 11 1945
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Wyoming.
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