Sergeant David Wallace Sala Jr, Army serial number 16060893, was born at Santa Barbara, California on February 5, 1924. His parents were David Wallace Sala Sr (5 Jan 1889 – 31 Aug 1951), who was born at Rushville, Schuyler County, Illinois; and Georgia M. (Mullen) Sala (17 Mar 1895 – 7 Apr 1991), who was born in Illinois. His parents married about 1922. In 1924 the family lived at Santa Barbara, California, and his father was a fruit merchant. In 1930 the family lived at Eugene, Lane County, Oregon, and his father was manager of a grocery. In 1940 the family lived at 513 South McArthur Street, Macomb, McDonough County, Illinois, and his father was a salesman at a retail electric store; his mother was an office clerk at a soil conservation office.
He had a sister, Rosemary Nelle (Sala) Overton (8 Jan 1926 – 31 Jan 2012), who was born at Santa Barbara, California; and twin brothers Daniel Lloyd Sala (5 Nov 1929 – 28 Feb 1994) and Capt James Donald Sala (5 Nov 1929 – 7 Dec 1965), who were born at Eugene, Oregon.
He graduated from Macomb High School, Macomb, Illinois in 1942. His photo in the senior class yearbook is accompanied by this entry:
------------
David Sala
“Had you conquered him in battle,
Not a groan would he have uttered …”
------------
He was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Quincy, Illinois, on March 27, 1942. He was 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 140 pounds.
He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training, and was assigned as ball turret gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Second Lieutenant 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 of the 487th Bomb Group at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 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 airfield near Clastres in northeastern France. Lt Smoke and his eight crew mates 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 Sala and his eight 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 Sala's remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Oakwood Cemetery in Macomb, McDonough County, Illinois. He is buried next to his two brothers.
His name is inscribed on the McDonough County Honor Roll in Macomb, Illinois.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1930 US Census; Oregon; Lane County; Eugene; Ward 3. Sala, David W. 3 Apr 1930 (David Wallace Sala Sr, his father)
3. 1940 US Census; Illinois; McDonough County; Macomb; 513 S. McArthur Street. Sala, David. 2 Apr 1940 (his father)
4. California Birth Index, 1905–1995
5. David Wallace Sala Jr (1924–1945) in Sala Family Tree at ancestry.com
6. de Jong, Ivo. 'The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H)'. Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
7. Enlistment Record of David W. Sala Jr
8. Macomb (IL) High School Yearbook, 1942
9. McDonough County Honor Roll, Macomb, Illinois
10. 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)
11. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 15844
12. U.S. City Directories, 1822–1995 (ancestry.com)
13. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
14. U.S. War Department. 'World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel'. Washington, D.C., June 1946
15. World War I Draft Registration of David Wallace Sala Sr. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
16. World War II Draft Registration of David Wallace Sala Sr. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
He had a sister, Rosemary Nelle (Sala) Overton (8 Jan 1926 – 31 Jan 2012), who was born at Santa Barbara, California; and twin brothers Daniel Lloyd Sala (5 Nov 1929 – 28 Feb 1994) and Capt James Donald Sala (5 Nov 1929 – 7 Dec 1965), who were born at Eugene, Oregon.
He graduated from Macomb High School, Macomb, Illinois in 1942. His photo in the senior class yearbook is accompanied by this entry:
------------
David Sala
“Had you conquered him in battle,
Not a groan would he have uttered …”
------------
He was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Quincy, Illinois, on March 27, 1942. He was 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 140 pounds.
He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training, and was assigned as ball turret gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Second Lieutenant 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 of the 487th Bomb Group at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 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 airfield near Clastres in northeastern France. Lt Smoke and his eight crew mates 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 Sala and his eight 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 Sala's remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Oakwood Cemetery in Macomb, McDonough County, Illinois. He is buried next to his two brothers.
His name is inscribed on the McDonough County Honor Roll in Macomb, Illinois.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1930 US Census; Oregon; Lane County; Eugene; Ward 3. Sala, David W. 3 Apr 1930 (David Wallace Sala Sr, his father)
3. 1940 US Census; Illinois; McDonough County; Macomb; 513 S. McArthur Street. Sala, David. 2 Apr 1940 (his father)
4. California Birth Index, 1905–1995
5. David Wallace Sala Jr (1924–1945) in Sala Family Tree at ancestry.com
6. de Jong, Ivo. 'The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H)'. Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
7. Enlistment Record of David W. Sala Jr
8. Macomb (IL) High School Yearbook, 1942
9. McDonough County Honor Roll, Macomb, Illinois
10. 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)
11. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 15844
12. U.S. City Directories, 1822–1995 (ancestry.com)
13. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
14. U.S. War Department. 'World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel'. Washington, D.C., June 1946
15. World War I Draft Registration of David Wallace Sala Sr. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
16. World War II Draft Registration of David Wallace Sala Sr. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Sergeant David Wallace Sala Jr, Army serial number 16060893, was born at Santa Barbara, California on February 5, 1924. His parents were David Wallace Sala Sr (5 Jan 1889 – 31 Aug 1951), who was born at Rushville, Schuyler County, Illinois; and Georgia M. (Mullen) Sala (17 Mar 1895 – 7 Apr 1991), who was born in Illinois. His parents married about 1922. In 1924 the family lived at Santa Barbara, California, and his father was a fruit merchant. In 1930 the family lived at Eugene, Lane County, Oregon, and his father was manager of a grocery. In 1940 the family lived at 513 South McArthur Street, Macomb, McDonough County, Illinois, and his father was a salesman at a retail electric store; his mother was an office clerk at a soil conservation office.
He had a sister, Rosemary Nelle (Sala) Overton (8 Jan 1926 – 31 Jan 2012), who was born at Santa Barbara, California; and twin brothers Daniel Lloyd Sala (5 Nov 1929 – 28 Feb 1994) and Capt James Donald Sala (5 Nov 1929 – 7 Dec 1965), who were born at Eugene, Oregon.
He graduated from Macomb High School, Macomb, Illinois in 1942. His photo in the senior class yearbook is accompanied by this entry:
------------
David Sala
“Had you conquered him in battle,
Not a groan would he have uttered …”
------------
He was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Quincy, Illinois, on March 27, 1942. He was 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 140 pounds.
He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training, and was assigned as ball turret gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Second Lieutenant 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 of the 487th Bomb Group at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 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 airfield near Clastres in northeastern France. Lt Smoke and his eight crew mates 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 Sala and his eight 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 Sala's remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Oakwood Cemetery in Macomb, McDonough County, Illinois. He is buried next to his two brothers.
His name is inscribed on the McDonough County Honor Roll in Macomb, Illinois.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1930 US Census; Oregon; Lane County; Eugene; Ward 3. Sala, David W. 3 Apr 1930 (David Wallace Sala Sr, his father)
3. 1940 US Census; Illinois; McDonough County; Macomb; 513 S. McArthur Street. Sala, David. 2 Apr 1940 (his father)
4. California Birth Index, 1905–1995
5. David Wallace Sala Jr (1924–1945) in Sala Family Tree at ancestry.com
6. de Jong, Ivo. 'The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H)'. Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
7. Enlistment Record of David W. Sala Jr
8. Macomb (IL) High School Yearbook, 1942
9. McDonough County Honor Roll, Macomb, Illinois
10. 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)
11. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 15844
12. U.S. City Directories, 1822–1995 (ancestry.com)
13. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
14. U.S. War Department. 'World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel'. Washington, D.C., June 1946
15. World War I Draft Registration of David Wallace Sala Sr. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
16. World War II Draft Registration of David Wallace Sala Sr. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
He had a sister, Rosemary Nelle (Sala) Overton (8 Jan 1926 – 31 Jan 2012), who was born at Santa Barbara, California; and twin brothers Daniel Lloyd Sala (5 Nov 1929 – 28 Feb 1994) and Capt James Donald Sala (5 Nov 1929 – 7 Dec 1965), who were born at Eugene, Oregon.
He graduated from Macomb High School, Macomb, Illinois in 1942. His photo in the senior class yearbook is accompanied by this entry:
------------
David Sala
“Had you conquered him in battle,
Not a groan would he have uttered …”
------------
He was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Quincy, Illinois, on March 27, 1942. He was 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 140 pounds.
He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training, and was assigned as ball turret gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Second Lieutenant 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 of the 487th Bomb Group at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 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 airfield near Clastres in northeastern France. Lt Smoke and his eight crew mates 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 Sala and his eight 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 Sala's remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Oakwood Cemetery in Macomb, McDonough County, Illinois. He is buried next to his two brothers.
His name is inscribed on the McDonough County Honor Roll in Macomb, Illinois.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1930 US Census; Oregon; Lane County; Eugene; Ward 3. Sala, David W. 3 Apr 1930 (David Wallace Sala Sr, his father)
3. 1940 US Census; Illinois; McDonough County; Macomb; 513 S. McArthur Street. Sala, David. 2 Apr 1940 (his father)
4. California Birth Index, 1905–1995
5. David Wallace Sala Jr (1924–1945) in Sala Family Tree at ancestry.com
6. de Jong, Ivo. 'The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H)'. Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
7. Enlistment Record of David W. Sala Jr
8. Macomb (IL) High School Yearbook, 1942
9. McDonough County Honor Roll, Macomb, Illinois
10. 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)
11. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 15844
12. U.S. City Directories, 1822–1995 (ancestry.com)
13. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
14. U.S. War Department. 'World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel'. Washington, D.C., June 1946
15. World War I Draft Registration of David Wallace Sala Sr. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
16. World War II Draft Registration of David Wallace Sala Sr. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
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