First Lieutenant Gordon Raymond Tomea Jr, Army serial number O-815597, was born at Passaic, Passaic County, New Jersey on January 24, 1920. He was probably an only child. His parents were Gordon Raymond Tomea (2 Jul 1898 – 1 Jan 1977), who was born in Italy (possibly at Belluno, Italy) and immigrated to America about 1902; and Anna (Packoitwo) Tomea (8 Feb 1897 – Mar 1982), who was born in Austria and immigrated to America about 1908. His parents married about 1908 and lived in Passaic County, New Jersey. In 1930 his father was a millwright at an iron foundry; by 1940 he was an examiner at Botany Worsted Mills in Passaic, a woolen mill company.
Gordon Tomea Jr graduated from Clifton High School about 1938, and registered for the draft at Clifton on July 1, 1941. He was 6 feet tall, weighed 197 pounds, and had brown eyes and brown hair. At that time he lived with his parents at 98 Gordon Street in Clifton and worked as an examiner at Botany Worsted Mills in Passaic. He was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Dix, New Jersey on March 23, 1942. His home of record was 6-14 Sixth Street, Fair Lawn, Bergen County, New Jersey, his wife's address in 1944.
His wife was Helen M. (Backes) Tomea (15 Nov 1921 – 16 Mar 2016), who was born in Friedrichsthal Germany and came to America in 1929. They probably met at Botany Worsted Mills, where they both worked. They married in 1942 and had a son, Gordon R. Tomea III (14 Feb 1944 – 15 Jul 2010). Helen (Backes) Tomea married Peter Plishka (17 Jul 1925 – 4 Nov 2015) at Clifton, New Jersey in May 1949.
He completed Army Air Forces pilot training, and was assigned as copilot on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Ira L. Ball in the 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. The 487th Bomb Group was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is Lt Ball's crew roster on December 24, 1944:
B-17G 43-37569 – 836th Bomb Squadron (839th Bomb Squadron aircraft)
• Ball, Ira L – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Tomea Jr, Gordon R – 1/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Sperber, Harold P – 1/Lt – Navigator – Safe
• Broom, John C – 1/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Parks, Warren H – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Lull, Robert H – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Gaudin Jr, Duffy J – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Conery, John J – S/Sgt – Waist gunner – KIA
• Becker, Cuno V – 1/Lt – Officer Tail Gunner – KIA
On December 24, 1944, the 8th Air Force launched mission #760, the largest aerial mission of the war, which involved more than 2000 heavy bombers. The mission was to bomb German airfields and supply lines to stop the German offensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 487th Bomb Group led the entire 8th Air Force on this mission. Lt Ball's crew flew B-17G 43-37569 in the number five position of the 487th Bomb Group's Low Squadron. The 487th Bomb Group's target was the airfield at Babenhausen, Germany, but the formation was attacked by German fighters before reaching the target. Lt Tomea and six of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. The aircraft broke up and most of the wreckage fell in the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille, at about 50.4763°N, 5.6577°E. (Gouffre d'Aywaille is the gulf of the Ambleve River near Aywaille—a wider, deeper section of the river just west of Aywaille.) The tail section fell in a small stone quarry near the hamlet Chambralles, just west of Septroux, Belgium. Two men survived.
Lt Tomea's remains were returned to the United States and interred at Calvary Cemetery in Paterson, New Jersey, on Monday, November 10, 1947. He is buried next to his parents in Section 25, Lot 8, Grave B.
He is honored with a cenotaph at Fair Lawn Memorial Park in Fair Lawn, Bergen County, New Jersey.
A monument to the Ira L. Ball crew was dedicated at Aywaille, Belgium on December 19, 2015. The monument is located on the south bank of the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille. It is the result of efforts by 40-45 Memories Museum of Aywaille and its founder, Mr. Frédéric Winkin.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; New Jersey; Passaic County; Passaic. Tomia, Gordon [sic]. 23 Jan 1920 (Gordon R Tomea, his father)
3. 1930 US Census; New Jersey; Passaic County; Clifton. Tomea, Gordon. 15 Apr 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; New Jersey; Passaic County; Clifton. Tomea, Gordon. Apr 1940 (his father)
5. Cemetery records of Calvary Cemetery in Paterson, New Jersey
6. Clifton Journal. Clifton NJ
• Obituary of Helen Plishka. 8 Apr 2016 (his widow)
• Obituary of Peter Plishka. 13 Nov 2015 (his widow's second husband)
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Enlistment Record of Gordon R. Tomea Jr
9. Fair Lawn Borough, Bergen County, New Jersey. Honor Roll of War Deceased
10. Gordon R Tomea Jr (1920 – 1944) in 1 My Amazing Family Tree (ancestry.com)
11. Henry, René. Aywaille: Chronique illustrée du XXe siècle. pp 141–143 [Aywaille: Illustrated Chronicle of the 20th Century]. Liege, Belgium: Editions Dricot (contains information about the loss of B-17G 43-37569; available through Google Books; search for Noël 1944)
12. (The) Herald-News. Passaic NJ
• Announcement of engagement of Gordon Tomea Jr and Helen Backes. 17 Aug 1942
• Obituary of Gordon R. Tomea Jr. Mon, 10 Nov 1947
• Obituary of Gordon R. Tomea III. 17 Jul 2010 (his son)
13. Historical Marker Database. Fair Lawn Memorial Park, Fair Lawn, Bergen County, New Jersey
14. Karp, Shane S. Coming full circle: A chief uncovers great-uncle's WWII crash site, 70 years later. 8 Dec 2015 (story about Chief Master Sergeant James McCloskey, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, a great nephew of Lt Cuno Becker)
15. New Jersey Death Index, 1901–2017 (ancestry.com)
16. New Jersey Marriage Index, 1901–2016 (ancestry.com)
17. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 11559
18. U. S. Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925–1970 (ancestry.com)
19. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
20. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
21. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945 (ancestry.com)
22. Vlan (Belgian newspaper). 19 Nov 2015. (Article about a monument to the Ira L. Ball crew dedicated on 19 Dec 2015; provided by Monsieur Benoît Noël of Aywaille, Belgium)
23. World War I Draft Registration of Jordan Raymond Tomea [sic]. 12 Sep 1918 (Gordon Raymond Tomea, his father)
24. World War II Draft Registration of Gordon Tomea. 15 Feb 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Gordon Tomea Jr graduated from Clifton High School about 1938, and registered for the draft at Clifton on July 1, 1941. He was 6 feet tall, weighed 197 pounds, and had brown eyes and brown hair. At that time he lived with his parents at 98 Gordon Street in Clifton and worked as an examiner at Botany Worsted Mills in Passaic. He was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Dix, New Jersey on March 23, 1942. His home of record was 6-14 Sixth Street, Fair Lawn, Bergen County, New Jersey, his wife's address in 1944.
His wife was Helen M. (Backes) Tomea (15 Nov 1921 – 16 Mar 2016), who was born in Friedrichsthal Germany and came to America in 1929. They probably met at Botany Worsted Mills, where they both worked. They married in 1942 and had a son, Gordon R. Tomea III (14 Feb 1944 – 15 Jul 2010). Helen (Backes) Tomea married Peter Plishka (17 Jul 1925 – 4 Nov 2015) at Clifton, New Jersey in May 1949.
He completed Army Air Forces pilot training, and was assigned as copilot on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Ira L. Ball in the 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. The 487th Bomb Group was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is Lt Ball's crew roster on December 24, 1944:
B-17G 43-37569 – 836th Bomb Squadron (839th Bomb Squadron aircraft)
• Ball, Ira L – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Tomea Jr, Gordon R – 1/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Sperber, Harold P – 1/Lt – Navigator – Safe
• Broom, John C – 1/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Parks, Warren H – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Lull, Robert H – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Gaudin Jr, Duffy J – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Conery, John J – S/Sgt – Waist gunner – KIA
• Becker, Cuno V – 1/Lt – Officer Tail Gunner – KIA
On December 24, 1944, the 8th Air Force launched mission #760, the largest aerial mission of the war, which involved more than 2000 heavy bombers. The mission was to bomb German airfields and supply lines to stop the German offensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 487th Bomb Group led the entire 8th Air Force on this mission. Lt Ball's crew flew B-17G 43-37569 in the number five position of the 487th Bomb Group's Low Squadron. The 487th Bomb Group's target was the airfield at Babenhausen, Germany, but the formation was attacked by German fighters before reaching the target. Lt Tomea and six of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. The aircraft broke up and most of the wreckage fell in the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille, at about 50.4763°N, 5.6577°E. (Gouffre d'Aywaille is the gulf of the Ambleve River near Aywaille—a wider, deeper section of the river just west of Aywaille.) The tail section fell in a small stone quarry near the hamlet Chambralles, just west of Septroux, Belgium. Two men survived.
Lt Tomea's remains were returned to the United States and interred at Calvary Cemetery in Paterson, New Jersey, on Monday, November 10, 1947. He is buried next to his parents in Section 25, Lot 8, Grave B.
He is honored with a cenotaph at Fair Lawn Memorial Park in Fair Lawn, Bergen County, New Jersey.
A monument to the Ira L. Ball crew was dedicated at Aywaille, Belgium on December 19, 2015. The monument is located on the south bank of the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille. It is the result of efforts by 40-45 Memories Museum of Aywaille and its founder, Mr. Frédéric Winkin.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; New Jersey; Passaic County; Passaic. Tomia, Gordon [sic]. 23 Jan 1920 (Gordon R Tomea, his father)
3. 1930 US Census; New Jersey; Passaic County; Clifton. Tomea, Gordon. 15 Apr 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; New Jersey; Passaic County; Clifton. Tomea, Gordon. Apr 1940 (his father)
5. Cemetery records of Calvary Cemetery in Paterson, New Jersey
6. Clifton Journal. Clifton NJ
• Obituary of Helen Plishka. 8 Apr 2016 (his widow)
• Obituary of Peter Plishka. 13 Nov 2015 (his widow's second husband)
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Enlistment Record of Gordon R. Tomea Jr
9. Fair Lawn Borough, Bergen County, New Jersey. Honor Roll of War Deceased
10. Gordon R Tomea Jr (1920 – 1944) in 1 My Amazing Family Tree (ancestry.com)
11. Henry, René. Aywaille: Chronique illustrée du XXe siècle. pp 141–143 [Aywaille: Illustrated Chronicle of the 20th Century]. Liege, Belgium: Editions Dricot (contains information about the loss of B-17G 43-37569; available through Google Books; search for Noël 1944)
12. (The) Herald-News. Passaic NJ
• Announcement of engagement of Gordon Tomea Jr and Helen Backes. 17 Aug 1942
• Obituary of Gordon R. Tomea Jr. Mon, 10 Nov 1947
• Obituary of Gordon R. Tomea III. 17 Jul 2010 (his son)
13. Historical Marker Database. Fair Lawn Memorial Park, Fair Lawn, Bergen County, New Jersey
14. Karp, Shane S. Coming full circle: A chief uncovers great-uncle's WWII crash site, 70 years later. 8 Dec 2015 (story about Chief Master Sergeant James McCloskey, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, a great nephew of Lt Cuno Becker)
15. New Jersey Death Index, 1901–2017 (ancestry.com)
16. New Jersey Marriage Index, 1901–2016 (ancestry.com)
17. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 11559
18. U. S. Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925–1970 (ancestry.com)
19. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
20. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
21. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945 (ancestry.com)
22. Vlan (Belgian newspaper). 19 Nov 2015. (Article about a monument to the Ira L. Ball crew dedicated on 19 Dec 2015; provided by Monsieur Benoît Noël of Aywaille, Belgium)
23. World War I Draft Registration of Jordan Raymond Tomea [sic]. 12 Sep 1918 (Gordon Raymond Tomea, his father)
24. World War II Draft Registration of Gordon Tomea. 15 Feb 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
First Lieutenant Gordon Raymond Tomea Jr, Army serial number O-815597, was born at Passaic, Passaic County, New Jersey on January 24, 1920. He was probably an only child. His parents were Gordon Raymond Tomea (2 Jul 1898 – 1 Jan 1977), who was born in Italy (possibly at Belluno, Italy) and immigrated to America about 1902; and Anna (Packoitwo) Tomea (8 Feb 1897 – Mar 1982), who was born in Austria and immigrated to America about 1908. His parents married about 1908 and lived in Passaic County, New Jersey. In 1930 his father was a millwright at an iron foundry; by 1940 he was an examiner at Botany Worsted Mills in Passaic, a woolen mill company.
Gordon Tomea Jr graduated from Clifton High School about 1938, and registered for the draft at Clifton on July 1, 1941. He was 6 feet tall, weighed 197 pounds, and had brown eyes and brown hair. At that time he lived with his parents at 98 Gordon Street in Clifton and worked as an examiner at Botany Worsted Mills in Passaic. He was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Dix, New Jersey on March 23, 1942. His home of record was 6-14 Sixth Street, Fair Lawn, Bergen County, New Jersey, his wife's address in 1944.
His wife was Helen M. (Backes) Tomea (15 Nov 1921 – 16 Mar 2016), who was born in Friedrichsthal Germany and came to America in 1929. They probably met at Botany Worsted Mills, where they both worked. They married in 1942 and had a son, Gordon R. Tomea III (14 Feb 1944 – 15 Jul 2010). Helen (Backes) Tomea married Peter Plishka (17 Jul 1925 – 4 Nov 2015) at Clifton, New Jersey in May 1949.
He completed Army Air Forces pilot training, and was assigned as copilot on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Ira L. Ball in the 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. The 487th Bomb Group was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is Lt Ball's crew roster on December 24, 1944:
B-17G 43-37569 – 836th Bomb Squadron (839th Bomb Squadron aircraft)
• Ball, Ira L – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Tomea Jr, Gordon R – 1/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Sperber, Harold P – 1/Lt – Navigator – Safe
• Broom, John C – 1/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Parks, Warren H – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Lull, Robert H – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Gaudin Jr, Duffy J – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Conery, John J – S/Sgt – Waist gunner – KIA
• Becker, Cuno V – 1/Lt – Officer Tail Gunner – KIA
On December 24, 1944, the 8th Air Force launched mission #760, the largest aerial mission of the war, which involved more than 2000 heavy bombers. The mission was to bomb German airfields and supply lines to stop the German offensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 487th Bomb Group led the entire 8th Air Force on this mission. Lt Ball's crew flew B-17G 43-37569 in the number five position of the 487th Bomb Group's Low Squadron. The 487th Bomb Group's target was the airfield at Babenhausen, Germany, but the formation was attacked by German fighters before reaching the target. Lt Tomea and six of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. The aircraft broke up and most of the wreckage fell in the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille, at about 50.4763°N, 5.6577°E. (Gouffre d'Aywaille is the gulf of the Ambleve River near Aywaille—a wider, deeper section of the river just west of Aywaille.) The tail section fell in a small stone quarry near the hamlet Chambralles, just west of Septroux, Belgium. Two men survived.
Lt Tomea's remains were returned to the United States and interred at Calvary Cemetery in Paterson, New Jersey, on Monday, November 10, 1947. He is buried next to his parents in Section 25, Lot 8, Grave B.
He is honored with a cenotaph at Fair Lawn Memorial Park in Fair Lawn, Bergen County, New Jersey.
A monument to the Ira L. Ball crew was dedicated at Aywaille, Belgium on December 19, 2015. The monument is located on the south bank of the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille. It is the result of efforts by 40-45 Memories Museum of Aywaille and its founder, Mr. Frédéric Winkin.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; New Jersey; Passaic County; Passaic. Tomia, Gordon [sic]. 23 Jan 1920 (Gordon R Tomea, his father)
3. 1930 US Census; New Jersey; Passaic County; Clifton. Tomea, Gordon. 15 Apr 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; New Jersey; Passaic County; Clifton. Tomea, Gordon. Apr 1940 (his father)
5. Cemetery records of Calvary Cemetery in Paterson, New Jersey
6. Clifton Journal. Clifton NJ
• Obituary of Helen Plishka. 8 Apr 2016 (his widow)
• Obituary of Peter Plishka. 13 Nov 2015 (his widow's second husband)
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Enlistment Record of Gordon R. Tomea Jr
9. Fair Lawn Borough, Bergen County, New Jersey. Honor Roll of War Deceased
10. Gordon R Tomea Jr (1920 – 1944) in 1 My Amazing Family Tree (ancestry.com)
11. Henry, René. Aywaille: Chronique illustrée du XXe siècle. pp 141–143 [Aywaille: Illustrated Chronicle of the 20th Century]. Liege, Belgium: Editions Dricot (contains information about the loss of B-17G 43-37569; available through Google Books; search for Noël 1944)
12. (The) Herald-News. Passaic NJ
• Announcement of engagement of Gordon Tomea Jr and Helen Backes. 17 Aug 1942
• Obituary of Gordon R. Tomea Jr. Mon, 10 Nov 1947
• Obituary of Gordon R. Tomea III. 17 Jul 2010 (his son)
13. Historical Marker Database. Fair Lawn Memorial Park, Fair Lawn, Bergen County, New Jersey
14. Karp, Shane S. Coming full circle: A chief uncovers great-uncle's WWII crash site, 70 years later. 8 Dec 2015 (story about Chief Master Sergeant James McCloskey, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, a great nephew of Lt Cuno Becker)
15. New Jersey Death Index, 1901–2017 (ancestry.com)
16. New Jersey Marriage Index, 1901–2016 (ancestry.com)
17. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 11559
18. U. S. Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925–1970 (ancestry.com)
19. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
20. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
21. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945 (ancestry.com)
22. Vlan (Belgian newspaper). 19 Nov 2015. (Article about a monument to the Ira L. Ball crew dedicated on 19 Dec 2015; provided by Monsieur Benoît Noël of Aywaille, Belgium)
23. World War I Draft Registration of Jordan Raymond Tomea [sic]. 12 Sep 1918 (Gordon Raymond Tomea, his father)
24. World War II Draft Registration of Gordon Tomea. 15 Feb 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Gordon Tomea Jr graduated from Clifton High School about 1938, and registered for the draft at Clifton on July 1, 1941. He was 6 feet tall, weighed 197 pounds, and had brown eyes and brown hair. At that time he lived with his parents at 98 Gordon Street in Clifton and worked as an examiner at Botany Worsted Mills in Passaic. He was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Dix, New Jersey on March 23, 1942. His home of record was 6-14 Sixth Street, Fair Lawn, Bergen County, New Jersey, his wife's address in 1944.
His wife was Helen M. (Backes) Tomea (15 Nov 1921 – 16 Mar 2016), who was born in Friedrichsthal Germany and came to America in 1929. They probably met at Botany Worsted Mills, where they both worked. They married in 1942 and had a son, Gordon R. Tomea III (14 Feb 1944 – 15 Jul 2010). Helen (Backes) Tomea married Peter Plishka (17 Jul 1925 – 4 Nov 2015) at Clifton, New Jersey in May 1949.
He completed Army Air Forces pilot training, and was assigned as copilot on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Ira L. Ball in the 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. The 487th Bomb Group was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is Lt Ball's crew roster on December 24, 1944:
B-17G 43-37569 – 836th Bomb Squadron (839th Bomb Squadron aircraft)
• Ball, Ira L – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Tomea Jr, Gordon R – 1/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Sperber, Harold P – 1/Lt – Navigator – Safe
• Broom, John C – 1/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Parks, Warren H – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Lull, Robert H – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Gaudin Jr, Duffy J – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Conery, John J – S/Sgt – Waist gunner – KIA
• Becker, Cuno V – 1/Lt – Officer Tail Gunner – KIA
On December 24, 1944, the 8th Air Force launched mission #760, the largest aerial mission of the war, which involved more than 2000 heavy bombers. The mission was to bomb German airfields and supply lines to stop the German offensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 487th Bomb Group led the entire 8th Air Force on this mission. Lt Ball's crew flew B-17G 43-37569 in the number five position of the 487th Bomb Group's Low Squadron. The 487th Bomb Group's target was the airfield at Babenhausen, Germany, but the formation was attacked by German fighters before reaching the target. Lt Tomea and six of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. The aircraft broke up and most of the wreckage fell in the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille, at about 50.4763°N, 5.6577°E. (Gouffre d'Aywaille is the gulf of the Ambleve River near Aywaille—a wider, deeper section of the river just west of Aywaille.) The tail section fell in a small stone quarry near the hamlet Chambralles, just west of Septroux, Belgium. Two men survived.
Lt Tomea's remains were returned to the United States and interred at Calvary Cemetery in Paterson, New Jersey, on Monday, November 10, 1947. He is buried next to his parents in Section 25, Lot 8, Grave B.
He is honored with a cenotaph at Fair Lawn Memorial Park in Fair Lawn, Bergen County, New Jersey.
A monument to the Ira L. Ball crew was dedicated at Aywaille, Belgium on December 19, 2015. The monument is located on the south bank of the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille. It is the result of efforts by 40-45 Memories Museum of Aywaille and its founder, Mr. Frédéric Winkin.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; New Jersey; Passaic County; Passaic. Tomia, Gordon [sic]. 23 Jan 1920 (Gordon R Tomea, his father)
3. 1930 US Census; New Jersey; Passaic County; Clifton. Tomea, Gordon. 15 Apr 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; New Jersey; Passaic County; Clifton. Tomea, Gordon. Apr 1940 (his father)
5. Cemetery records of Calvary Cemetery in Paterson, New Jersey
6. Clifton Journal. Clifton NJ
• Obituary of Helen Plishka. 8 Apr 2016 (his widow)
• Obituary of Peter Plishka. 13 Nov 2015 (his widow's second husband)
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Enlistment Record of Gordon R. Tomea Jr
9. Fair Lawn Borough, Bergen County, New Jersey. Honor Roll of War Deceased
10. Gordon R Tomea Jr (1920 – 1944) in 1 My Amazing Family Tree (ancestry.com)
11. Henry, René. Aywaille: Chronique illustrée du XXe siècle. pp 141–143 [Aywaille: Illustrated Chronicle of the 20th Century]. Liege, Belgium: Editions Dricot (contains information about the loss of B-17G 43-37569; available through Google Books; search for Noël 1944)
12. (The) Herald-News. Passaic NJ
• Announcement of engagement of Gordon Tomea Jr and Helen Backes. 17 Aug 1942
• Obituary of Gordon R. Tomea Jr. Mon, 10 Nov 1947
• Obituary of Gordon R. Tomea III. 17 Jul 2010 (his son)
13. Historical Marker Database. Fair Lawn Memorial Park, Fair Lawn, Bergen County, New Jersey
14. Karp, Shane S. Coming full circle: A chief uncovers great-uncle's WWII crash site, 70 years later. 8 Dec 2015 (story about Chief Master Sergeant James McCloskey, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, a great nephew of Lt Cuno Becker)
15. New Jersey Death Index, 1901–2017 (ancestry.com)
16. New Jersey Marriage Index, 1901–2016 (ancestry.com)
17. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 11559
18. U. S. Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925–1970 (ancestry.com)
19. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
20. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
21. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945 (ancestry.com)
22. Vlan (Belgian newspaper). 19 Nov 2015. (Article about a monument to the Ira L. Ball crew dedicated on 19 Dec 2015; provided by Monsieur Benoît Noël of Aywaille, Belgium)
23. World War I Draft Registration of Jordan Raymond Tomea [sic]. 12 Sep 1918 (Gordon Raymond Tomea, his father)
24. World War II Draft Registration of Gordon Tomea. 15 Feb 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Inscription
GORDON R TOMEA JR
NEW JERSEY
1ST LIEUT 836 AAF BOMB SQ
WORLD WAR II
JAN 24 1920 DEC 24 1944
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