Staff Sergeant Elmer George Musser, Army serial number 36304186, was born at Chicago, Cook County, Illinois on December 5, 1917. His parents were Joseph Musser (9 Dec 1876 – 26 Aug 1966), who was born in Austria and immigrated to America in 1903; and Anna (Hauptmann) Musser (13 Jul 1888 – 14 Dec 1941), who was born at Chicago, Illinois. His parents married about 1910, and his father was employed building Pullman railroad cars. He had five siblings: Joseph Raymond Musser (1911 – 1985) (called Raymond); John Francis Musser Sr ( 1913 – 1987); Florence Maria (Musser) Harlan (1915 – 1999); Richard Leroy Musser (1920 – 2000); and Madeline Bernice (Musser) Edmonds (1922 – 1977). The family home was at 2048 West 58th Street, Chicago, Illinois, his home of record.
He graduated from Lindblom Technical High School in Chicago (located about one-half mile south of the family home) and worked as an apprentice machinist in a steel mill. He registered for the draft at Chicago on October 16, 1940. He was 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighed 130 pounds, and had gray eyes and blonde hair. At that time he lived with his parents and worked for Acme Metal Products on West 74th Street in Chicago. He was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Camp Grant in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois on November 10, 1941.
He completed Army Air Forces flight engineer and aerial gunnery training, and was assigned to the heavy bomber crew of 2/Lt Thomas Womer. In December 1943 the Womer crew began B-24 crew training at Davis-Monthan Field in Tucson, Arizona. In January 1944 the Womer crew was assigned to the 838th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico. There they completed B-24 crew training, and deployed with the Group to England in March 1944. They flew B-24H 42-52662 overseas from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Lavenham, England via the southern Atlantic ferry route—a journey of about 10,000 miles—and arrived in England by mid-April 1944. The 487th Bomb Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.
After arrival in England, S/Sgt Musser and four of his original crewmates (Boyd, Lumpkin, Kussy, and Rosenberger) were reassigned to the crew of Lt Arthur D. Erwin in the 838th Bomb Squadron. Here is Lt Erwin's crew roster on June 20, 1944:
B-24H 42-95217 – 838th Bomb Squadron
• Erwin, Arthur D – 2/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Mass, Rubie R – 2/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Mackie, Thomas S – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• Musser, Elmer G – S/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Boyd, Leslie L – S/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Lumpkin, Claude L – S/Sgt – Nose Turret Gunner – KIA
• Kussy Jr, Leroy S – Sgt – Top Turret Gunner – KIA
• Rosenberger, Jearold F – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Ross, Albert L – S/Sgt – Tail Turret Gunner – POW
S/Sgt Musser and seven of his crewmates were killed in action on June 20, 1944 when their aircraft, B-24H 42-95217, was shot down by flak on the mission to bomb an oil refinery at Misburg near Hannover, Germany. Just after bombs away, the aircraft received a direct flak hit which tore off the tail. The aircraft spun to the ground in flames and crashed five kilometers north of Hannover. The bodies of eight crew members were found in the wreckage. The dead were buried initially at the military cemetery in Hannover-Limmer. S/Sgt Ross, the tail gunner, was able to bail out and landed at Mecklenheide near Hannover. He was captured there and became a prisoner of war.
S/Sgt Musser's remains were returned to the United States and interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Evergreen Park, Cook County, Illinois on May 28, 1949. He is buried in the Cedar Hill Section, Part T7, Lot 775 (S6 N12), Grave 3, next to his parents and his brother Joseph.
His crewmate S/Sgt Albert Louis Ross survived captivity and returned to Chico, Butte County, California after the war. He was lost at sea in 1979 while working as a commercial fisherman off the Mendocino coast near Fort Bragg, Mendocino County, California.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; Illinois; Cook County; Tract A E 3; Ward 29; 2048 West 58th Street. Musser, Joseph. 9 Jan 1920 (his father)
3. 1930 US Census; Illinois; Cook County; Chicago; Ward 15; 2048 West 58th Street. Musser, Joseph. 3 Apr 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; Illinois; Cook County; Chicago; Ward 15; 2048 West 58th Street. Musser, Joseph. 19 Apr 1940 (his father)
5. Cemetery records of Evergreen Cemetery, Evergreen Park, IL
6. Chicago Tribune
• Death Report of Sgt Elmer G. Musser. Chicago IL, Tue, 18 Jul 1944, p 9
• Obituary of Joseph Musser (his father). Chicago IL, Sun, 28 Aug 1966, p 49
• Obituary of John F. Musser Sr (his brother). Chicago IL, Thu, 27 Aug 1987, p 38
• Obituary of Richard L. Musser (his brother). Chicago IL, Sun, 17 Sep 2000, p 175
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Enlistment Record of Elmer G. Musser
9. HQ, 359th Combat Crew Training School, Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico. Special Orders Number 71. 11 March 1944 (487th Bomb Group flight echelon orders to proceed from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Herington, Kansas during the deployment to England)
10. HQ, Davis-Monthan Field, Tucson, Arizona. Special Orders Number 1. 1 Jan 1944 (transfer of fifty heavy bomber combat crews, less navigators, from Davis-Monthan Field, Tucson, Arizona to the 487th Bomb Group at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico)
11. Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates, 1871–1940. Elmer Musser was born at Chicago, Cook County, Illinois on 5 Dec 1917.
12. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 5935
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. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
16. World War I Draft Registration of Joseph Musser. 12 Sep 1918 (his father)
Research by:
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Last edited 18 May 2024
Staff Sergeant Elmer George Musser, Army serial number 36304186, was born at Chicago, Cook County, Illinois on December 5, 1917. His parents were Joseph Musser (9 Dec 1876 – 26 Aug 1966), who was born in Austria and immigrated to America in 1903; and Anna (Hauptmann) Musser (13 Jul 1888 – 14 Dec 1941), who was born at Chicago, Illinois. His parents married about 1910, and his father was employed building Pullman railroad cars. He had five siblings: Joseph Raymond Musser (1911 – 1985) (called Raymond); John Francis Musser Sr ( 1913 – 1987); Florence Maria (Musser) Harlan (1915 – 1999); Richard Leroy Musser (1920 – 2000); and Madeline Bernice (Musser) Edmonds (1922 – 1977). The family home was at 2048 West 58th Street, Chicago, Illinois, his home of record.
He graduated from Lindblom Technical High School in Chicago (located about one-half mile south of the family home) and worked as an apprentice machinist in a steel mill. He registered for the draft at Chicago on October 16, 1940. He was 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighed 130 pounds, and had gray eyes and blonde hair. At that time he lived with his parents and worked for Acme Metal Products on West 74th Street in Chicago. He was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Camp Grant in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois on November 10, 1941.
He completed Army Air Forces flight engineer and aerial gunnery training, and was assigned to the heavy bomber crew of 2/Lt Thomas Womer. In December 1943 the Womer crew began B-24 crew training at Davis-Monthan Field in Tucson, Arizona. In January 1944 the Womer crew was assigned to the 838th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico. There they completed B-24 crew training, and deployed with the Group to England in March 1944. They flew B-24H 42-52662 overseas from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Lavenham, England via the southern Atlantic ferry route—a journey of about 10,000 miles—and arrived in England by mid-April 1944. The 487th Bomb Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.
After arrival in England, S/Sgt Musser and four of his original crewmates (Boyd, Lumpkin, Kussy, and Rosenberger) were reassigned to the crew of Lt Arthur D. Erwin in the 838th Bomb Squadron. Here is Lt Erwin's crew roster on June 20, 1944:
B-24H 42-95217 – 838th Bomb Squadron
• Erwin, Arthur D – 2/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Mass, Rubie R – 2/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Mackie, Thomas S – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• Musser, Elmer G – S/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Boyd, Leslie L – S/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Lumpkin, Claude L – S/Sgt – Nose Turret Gunner – KIA
• Kussy Jr, Leroy S – Sgt – Top Turret Gunner – KIA
• Rosenberger, Jearold F – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Ross, Albert L – S/Sgt – Tail Turret Gunner – POW
S/Sgt Musser and seven of his crewmates were killed in action on June 20, 1944 when their aircraft, B-24H 42-95217, was shot down by flak on the mission to bomb an oil refinery at Misburg near Hannover, Germany. Just after bombs away, the aircraft received a direct flak hit which tore off the tail. The aircraft spun to the ground in flames and crashed five kilometers north of Hannover. The bodies of eight crew members were found in the wreckage. The dead were buried initially at the military cemetery in Hannover-Limmer. S/Sgt Ross, the tail gunner, was able to bail out and landed at Mecklenheide near Hannover. He was captured there and became a prisoner of war.
S/Sgt Musser's remains were returned to the United States and interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Evergreen Park, Cook County, Illinois on May 28, 1949. He is buried in the Cedar Hill Section, Part T7, Lot 775 (S6 N12), Grave 3, next to his parents and his brother Joseph.
His crewmate S/Sgt Albert Louis Ross survived captivity and returned to Chico, Butte County, California after the war. He was lost at sea in 1979 while working as a commercial fisherman off the Mendocino coast near Fort Bragg, Mendocino County, California.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; Illinois; Cook County; Tract A E 3; Ward 29; 2048 West 58th Street. Musser, Joseph. 9 Jan 1920 (his father)
3. 1930 US Census; Illinois; Cook County; Chicago; Ward 15; 2048 West 58th Street. Musser, Joseph. 3 Apr 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; Illinois; Cook County; Chicago; Ward 15; 2048 West 58th Street. Musser, Joseph. 19 Apr 1940 (his father)
5. Cemetery records of Evergreen Cemetery, Evergreen Park, IL
6. Chicago Tribune
• Death Report of Sgt Elmer G. Musser. Chicago IL, Tue, 18 Jul 1944, p 9
• Obituary of Joseph Musser (his father). Chicago IL, Sun, 28 Aug 1966, p 49
• Obituary of John F. Musser Sr (his brother). Chicago IL, Thu, 27 Aug 1987, p 38
• Obituary of Richard L. Musser (his brother). Chicago IL, Sun, 17 Sep 2000, p 175
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Enlistment Record of Elmer G. Musser
9. HQ, 359th Combat Crew Training School, Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico. Special Orders Number 71. 11 March 1944 (487th Bomb Group flight echelon orders to proceed from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Herington, Kansas during the deployment to England)
10. HQ, Davis-Monthan Field, Tucson, Arizona. Special Orders Number 1. 1 Jan 1944 (transfer of fifty heavy bomber combat crews, less navigators, from Davis-Monthan Field, Tucson, Arizona to the 487th Bomb Group at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico)
11. Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates, 1871–1940. Elmer Musser was born at Chicago, Cook County, Illinois on 5 Dec 1917.
12. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 5935
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. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
16. World War I Draft Registration of Joseph Musser. 12 Sep 1918 (his father)
Research by:
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Last edited 18 May 2024
Inscription
MUSSER
S/SGT.
ELMER G.
DEC. 5, 1917
JUNE 20, 1944
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
See more Musser memorials in:
Advertisement