Andrew W. Oppmann, Jr.
Corporal, U.S. Army Air Forces

In October 1944, Corporal Andrew W. Oppmann, Jr. was serving as a tail turret gunner with the 759th Bomb Squadron, 459th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 304th Bombardment Wing, 15th Air Force, U.S. Army Air Forces, based at Giulia Airfield, Italy. The 459th Bombardment Group flew B-24 Liberator bombers on missions in Italy, France, the Balkans, Austria and Germany.

On 29 October, CPL Oppmann was the tail turret gunner of B-24H Liberator bomber Serial Number 41-28996 named ’Stinky Avenger’ that was on a mission to bomb a target at Munich, Germany. [Missing Air Crew Record (MACR) 9582.] The aircraft had a crew of 10.

MACR 9582 says the aircraft was last sighted by a witness at 1120 hours and was seen crashing. The witness, Bombardier 2LT Norman A. Fagerquist, made the following statement: “At 1120 on 29 October 1944, while on a Combat Mission we were flying in “E” Flight, position 6 when our formation passed through a cloud bank. Our box started to split up as we saw the cloud bank coming. Our plane and one other turned left, the remainder of the box peeled off to the right. I was in the nose looking out the right window watching the rest of our box leaving the formation in the cloud, when something down low (we were at 5,000 feet) caught my eye. I saw a B-24 spinning down with numerous silver pieces of wreckage following it; one appeared to be a wing. My first impulse was that of a mid-air collision in the cloud. I called my crew and gave them the relative position and told them to watch for chutes. As the plane spun down a yellow tail plane was plainly visible. The bombs hit first, then the plane hit the water and disappeared; there was only one large splash. I watched the spot for chutes but saw none, only wavering pieces of silver wreckage either floating on the water or floating down in the water. I looked at my watch and it was 1122, we then entered another cloud, made a 360 turn and came out at 2,000 feet heading for an island off the Yugoslavian coast. I finally identified the island and figured back to an approximate position and entered it in my log.”

It was later learned that all 10 men were Killed in Action.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Purple Heart
Air Medal
Army Good Conduct Medal
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Army Air Forces Aircrew Badge

B-24H Liberator bomber Serial Number 41-28996 named ’Stinky Avenger’ had the following crew members on 29 October 1944.

● Pilot: 2LT Sidney R. Davis [Honoree Record ID 74219] KIA
● Co-Pilot: 2LT Floyd N. Martin [Honoree Record ID 76273] KIA
● Navigator: 2LT Robert J. Culp [Honoree Record ID 74136] KIA
● Bombardier: 2LT William J. Connelly [Honoree Record ID 74009] KIA
● Engineer: CPL Wallace S. Sayne [Honoree Record ID 77554] KIA
● Radio Operator: SGT Sam Rosenwald [Honoree Record ID 77446] KIA
● Nose Turret Gunner: CPL Raymond F. Brake [Honoree Record ID 73575] KIA
● Waist Gunner: CPL Elmer M. Watkins, Jr. [Honoree Record ID 78390] KIA
● Ball Turret Gunner: CPL Rudolph D’Antuono [Honoree Record ID 74160] KIA
● Tail Turret Gunner: CPL Andrew W. Oppmann, Jr. [Honoree Record ID 76912] KIA

Memorialization

Corporal Andrew W. Oppmann, Jr. is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial in Florence, Provincia di Firenze, Toscana, Italy.

[The information in this biography was derived primarily from various sections of the 459th Bombardment Group website at http://www.459bg.org/ and permission was granted for its use.]