Sergeant Elmer Edward Koepsell, Army serial number 37586104, was born at Canova, Miner County, South Dakota on May 2, 1911. His parents were William Herman Koepsell (3 Nov 1886 – 28 Feb 1969) and Lena Augusta (Butzke) Koepsell (23 Feb 1886 – 21 Jun 1980), who were born in South Dakota. His parents married at McCook County, South Dakota on May 27, 1910. His father was a farmer near Salem, McCook County, South Dakota. He had one brother, Harvey Koepsell (13 Sep 1912 – 28 Jan 1998).
He graduated from Canova High School in 1929 and worked as a sales agent for Standard Oil in the Canova area. His wife was Edna Mae (Hanno) Koepsell (later Gieske) (1912 – 2005). They married at Hartford, Minnehaha County, South Dakota on April 25, 1939, and had one son, William Gale 'Bill' Koepsell (1944 – 2017).
He registered for the draft at Canova, South Dakota on October 16, 1940. He was 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighed 165 pounds, and had gray eyes and blonde hair. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1944 and completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training at Kingman, Arizona.
He was assigned as waist gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Daniel C. Smoke Jr. The Smoke crew completed B-17 operational training at Biloxi, Mississippi, and was sent to Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia, where they were assigned a new B-17 for the deployment to England. There is a photo of the crew that was taken outside the mess hall at Hunter Field. They were assigned to the 838th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived in England by February 26, 1945, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is Lt Smoke's crew roster on March 19, 1945:
B-17G 43-38038 – 838th Bomb Squadron
• Smoke Jr, Daniel C – 2/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Pendarvis, George H – F/O – Copilot – KIA
• Olsen, Gunnar K – F/O – Navigator – KIA
• Strong, John H – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• White Jr, John – Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Stone, Harold J – Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Sala, David W – Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Koepsell, Elmer E – Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Burres, Richard E – Sgt – Tail Gunner – KIA
On March 19, 1945, the 487th Bomb Group dispatched thirty aircraft to bomb a communications center at Zwickau, Germany. The Smoke crew flew B-17G 43-38038 on this mission. Because of poor weather over England, the Group assembled into formation over A-71, the Allied advanced landing ground near Clastres in northeastern France. Sgt Koepsell and his eight crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft collided with Lt John R. Virgin's B-17G 43-37969 'Beverly Jean' during formation assembly. All of Lt Virgin's crew bailed out and survived, but none of Lt Smoke's crew was able to bail out. Sgt Koepsell and his crewmates perished in the subsequent crash of their aircraft near Couvron, France.
The dead were buried initially at the temporary U.S. Military Cemetery Champigneul #1 near Chalons-sur-Marne, France. (Chalons-sur-Marne was renamed Châlons-en-Champagne in 1998.) After the war, Sgt Koepsell's remains were reinterred at Epinal American Cemetery in France. He is buried in Plot A, Row 32, Grave 42.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; South Dakota; McCook County. Koepsell, W H. 20 Feb 1920 (his father)
3. 1930 US Census; South Dakota; McCook County. Koepsell, Wm H. 21 May 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; South Dakota; Miner County; Canova. Koepsell, Elmer. 15 Apr 1940
5. American Battle Monuments Commission
6. Argus-Leader. Obituary of Lena Koepsell. Sioux Falls SD, 24 Jun 1980 (his mother)
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Elmer Edward Koepsell (1911 – 1945) in William Koepsell Family Tree (ancestry.com)
9. O'Leary, Jack. Thread posted on the facebook page of The Eighth Air Force Historical Society. 9 Sep 2013 (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=617825511602102; confirms location of the crew photo at Hunter Field, Georgia)
10. Social Security Death Index
11. South Dakota Birth Index, 1856–1917 (ancestry.com)
12. South Dakota Marriages, 1905–2017 (ancestry.com)
13. South Dakota World War II Memorial: Fallen Sons and Daughters. Profile of Army Air Forces Sergeant Elmer Edward Koepsell. Apr 2002 (no longer online)
14. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 15844
15. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
16. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
17. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
18. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
19. World War I Draft Registration of William H. Koepsell. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
20. World War II Draft Registration of William H. Koepsell. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
He graduated from Canova High School in 1929 and worked as a sales agent for Standard Oil in the Canova area. His wife was Edna Mae (Hanno) Koepsell (later Gieske) (1912 – 2005). They married at Hartford, Minnehaha County, South Dakota on April 25, 1939, and had one son, William Gale 'Bill' Koepsell (1944 – 2017).
He registered for the draft at Canova, South Dakota on October 16, 1940. He was 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighed 165 pounds, and had gray eyes and blonde hair. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1944 and completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training at Kingman, Arizona.
He was assigned as waist gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Daniel C. Smoke Jr. The Smoke crew completed B-17 operational training at Biloxi, Mississippi, and was sent to Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia, where they were assigned a new B-17 for the deployment to England. There is a photo of the crew that was taken outside the mess hall at Hunter Field. They were assigned to the 838th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived in England by February 26, 1945, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is Lt Smoke's crew roster on March 19, 1945:
B-17G 43-38038 – 838th Bomb Squadron
• Smoke Jr, Daniel C – 2/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Pendarvis, George H – F/O – Copilot – KIA
• Olsen, Gunnar K – F/O – Navigator – KIA
• Strong, John H – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• White Jr, John – Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Stone, Harold J – Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Sala, David W – Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Koepsell, Elmer E – Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Burres, Richard E – Sgt – Tail Gunner – KIA
On March 19, 1945, the 487th Bomb Group dispatched thirty aircraft to bomb a communications center at Zwickau, Germany. The Smoke crew flew B-17G 43-38038 on this mission. Because of poor weather over England, the Group assembled into formation over A-71, the Allied advanced landing ground near Clastres in northeastern France. Sgt Koepsell and his eight crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft collided with Lt John R. Virgin's B-17G 43-37969 'Beverly Jean' during formation assembly. All of Lt Virgin's crew bailed out and survived, but none of Lt Smoke's crew was able to bail out. Sgt Koepsell and his crewmates perished in the subsequent crash of their aircraft near Couvron, France.
The dead were buried initially at the temporary U.S. Military Cemetery Champigneul #1 near Chalons-sur-Marne, France. (Chalons-sur-Marne was renamed Châlons-en-Champagne in 1998.) After the war, Sgt Koepsell's remains were reinterred at Epinal American Cemetery in France. He is buried in Plot A, Row 32, Grave 42.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; South Dakota; McCook County. Koepsell, W H. 20 Feb 1920 (his father)
3. 1930 US Census; South Dakota; McCook County. Koepsell, Wm H. 21 May 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; South Dakota; Miner County; Canova. Koepsell, Elmer. 15 Apr 1940
5. American Battle Monuments Commission
6. Argus-Leader. Obituary of Lena Koepsell. Sioux Falls SD, 24 Jun 1980 (his mother)
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Elmer Edward Koepsell (1911 – 1945) in William Koepsell Family Tree (ancestry.com)
9. O'Leary, Jack. Thread posted on the facebook page of The Eighth Air Force Historical Society. 9 Sep 2013 (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=617825511602102; confirms location of the crew photo at Hunter Field, Georgia)
10. Social Security Death Index
11. South Dakota Birth Index, 1856–1917 (ancestry.com)
12. South Dakota Marriages, 1905–2017 (ancestry.com)
13. South Dakota World War II Memorial: Fallen Sons and Daughters. Profile of Army Air Forces Sergeant Elmer Edward Koepsell. Apr 2002 (no longer online)
14. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 15844
15. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
16. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
17. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
18. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
19. World War I Draft Registration of William H. Koepsell. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
20. World War II Draft Registration of William H. Koepsell. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Sergeant Elmer Edward Koepsell, Army serial number 37586104, was born at Canova, Miner County, South Dakota on May 2, 1911. His parents were William Herman Koepsell (3 Nov 1886 – 28 Feb 1969) and Lena Augusta (Butzke) Koepsell (23 Feb 1886 – 21 Jun 1980), who were born in South Dakota. His parents married at McCook County, South Dakota on May 27, 1910. His father was a farmer near Salem, McCook County, South Dakota. He had one brother, Harvey Koepsell (13 Sep 1912 – 28 Jan 1998).
He graduated from Canova High School in 1929 and worked as a sales agent for Standard Oil in the Canova area. His wife was Edna Mae (Hanno) Koepsell (later Gieske) (1912 – 2005). They married at Hartford, Minnehaha County, South Dakota on April 25, 1939, and had one son, William Gale 'Bill' Koepsell (1944 – 2017).
He registered for the draft at Canova, South Dakota on October 16, 1940. He was 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighed 165 pounds, and had gray eyes and blonde hair. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1944 and completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training at Kingman, Arizona.
He was assigned as waist gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Daniel C. Smoke Jr. The Smoke crew completed B-17 operational training at Biloxi, Mississippi, and was sent to Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia, where they were assigned a new B-17 for the deployment to England. There is a photo of the crew that was taken outside the mess hall at Hunter Field. They were assigned to the 838th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived in England by February 26, 1945, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is Lt Smoke's crew roster on March 19, 1945:
B-17G 43-38038 – 838th Bomb Squadron
• Smoke Jr, Daniel C – 2/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Pendarvis, George H – F/O – Copilot – KIA
• Olsen, Gunnar K – F/O – Navigator – KIA
• Strong, John H – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• White Jr, John – Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Stone, Harold J – Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Sala, David W – Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Koepsell, Elmer E – Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Burres, Richard E – Sgt – Tail Gunner – KIA
On March 19, 1945, the 487th Bomb Group dispatched thirty aircraft to bomb a communications center at Zwickau, Germany. The Smoke crew flew B-17G 43-38038 on this mission. Because of poor weather over England, the Group assembled into formation over A-71, the Allied advanced landing ground near Clastres in northeastern France. Sgt Koepsell and his eight crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft collided with Lt John R. Virgin's B-17G 43-37969 'Beverly Jean' during formation assembly. All of Lt Virgin's crew bailed out and survived, but none of Lt Smoke's crew was able to bail out. Sgt Koepsell and his crewmates perished in the subsequent crash of their aircraft near Couvron, France.
The dead were buried initially at the temporary U.S. Military Cemetery Champigneul #1 near Chalons-sur-Marne, France. (Chalons-sur-Marne was renamed Châlons-en-Champagne in 1998.) After the war, Sgt Koepsell's remains were reinterred at Epinal American Cemetery in France. He is buried in Plot A, Row 32, Grave 42.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; South Dakota; McCook County. Koepsell, W H. 20 Feb 1920 (his father)
3. 1930 US Census; South Dakota; McCook County. Koepsell, Wm H. 21 May 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; South Dakota; Miner County; Canova. Koepsell, Elmer. 15 Apr 1940
5. American Battle Monuments Commission
6. Argus-Leader. Obituary of Lena Koepsell. Sioux Falls SD, 24 Jun 1980 (his mother)
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Elmer Edward Koepsell (1911 – 1945) in William Koepsell Family Tree (ancestry.com)
9. O'Leary, Jack. Thread posted on the facebook page of The Eighth Air Force Historical Society. 9 Sep 2013 (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=617825511602102; confirms location of the crew photo at Hunter Field, Georgia)
10. Social Security Death Index
11. South Dakota Birth Index, 1856–1917 (ancestry.com)
12. South Dakota Marriages, 1905–2017 (ancestry.com)
13. South Dakota World War II Memorial: Fallen Sons and Daughters. Profile of Army Air Forces Sergeant Elmer Edward Koepsell. Apr 2002 (no longer online)
14. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 15844
15. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
16. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
17. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
18. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
19. World War I Draft Registration of William H. Koepsell. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
20. World War II Draft Registration of William H. Koepsell. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
He graduated from Canova High School in 1929 and worked as a sales agent for Standard Oil in the Canova area. His wife was Edna Mae (Hanno) Koepsell (later Gieske) (1912 – 2005). They married at Hartford, Minnehaha County, South Dakota on April 25, 1939, and had one son, William Gale 'Bill' Koepsell (1944 – 2017).
He registered for the draft at Canova, South Dakota on October 16, 1940. He was 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighed 165 pounds, and had gray eyes and blonde hair. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1944 and completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training at Kingman, Arizona.
He was assigned as waist gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Daniel C. Smoke Jr. The Smoke crew completed B-17 operational training at Biloxi, Mississippi, and was sent to Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia, where they were assigned a new B-17 for the deployment to England. There is a photo of the crew that was taken outside the mess hall at Hunter Field. They were assigned to the 838th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived in England by February 26, 1945, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is Lt Smoke's crew roster on March 19, 1945:
B-17G 43-38038 – 838th Bomb Squadron
• Smoke Jr, Daniel C – 2/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Pendarvis, George H – F/O – Copilot – KIA
• Olsen, Gunnar K – F/O – Navigator – KIA
• Strong, John H – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• White Jr, John – Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Stone, Harold J – Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Sala, David W – Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Koepsell, Elmer E – Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Burres, Richard E – Sgt – Tail Gunner – KIA
On March 19, 1945, the 487th Bomb Group dispatched thirty aircraft to bomb a communications center at Zwickau, Germany. The Smoke crew flew B-17G 43-38038 on this mission. Because of poor weather over England, the Group assembled into formation over A-71, the Allied advanced landing ground near Clastres in northeastern France. Sgt Koepsell and his eight crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft collided with Lt John R. Virgin's B-17G 43-37969 'Beverly Jean' during formation assembly. All of Lt Virgin's crew bailed out and survived, but none of Lt Smoke's crew was able to bail out. Sgt Koepsell and his crewmates perished in the subsequent crash of their aircraft near Couvron, France.
The dead were buried initially at the temporary U.S. Military Cemetery Champigneul #1 near Chalons-sur-Marne, France. (Chalons-sur-Marne was renamed Châlons-en-Champagne in 1998.) After the war, Sgt Koepsell's remains were reinterred at Epinal American Cemetery in France. He is buried in Plot A, Row 32, Grave 42.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; South Dakota; McCook County. Koepsell, W H. 20 Feb 1920 (his father)
3. 1930 US Census; South Dakota; McCook County. Koepsell, Wm H. 21 May 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; South Dakota; Miner County; Canova. Koepsell, Elmer. 15 Apr 1940
5. American Battle Monuments Commission
6. Argus-Leader. Obituary of Lena Koepsell. Sioux Falls SD, 24 Jun 1980 (his mother)
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Elmer Edward Koepsell (1911 – 1945) in William Koepsell Family Tree (ancestry.com)
9. O'Leary, Jack. Thread posted on the facebook page of The Eighth Air Force Historical Society. 9 Sep 2013 (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=617825511602102; confirms location of the crew photo at Hunter Field, Georgia)
10. Social Security Death Index
11. South Dakota Birth Index, 1856–1917 (ancestry.com)
12. South Dakota Marriages, 1905–2017 (ancestry.com)
13. South Dakota World War II Memorial: Fallen Sons and Daughters. Profile of Army Air Forces Sergeant Elmer Edward Koepsell. Apr 2002 (no longer online)
14. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 15844
15. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
16. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
17. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
18. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
19. World War I Draft Registration of William H. Koepsell. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
20. World War II Draft Registration of William H. Koepsell. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Inscription
ELMER E. KOEPSELL
SGT 838 BOMB SQ 487 BOMB GP (H)
SOUTH DAKOTA MAR 19 1945
Gravesite Details
Entered the Service from South Dakota.
Family Members
Siblings
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