Carl Heinz Spoerer
Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Forces

In March 1944, Sergeant Carl Heinz Spoerer was serving as a right waist gunner with the 757th Bomb Squadron, 459th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 304th Bombardment Wing, 15th Air Force, 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 3 March 1944, SGT Spoerer was the right waist gunner on the B-24H Liberator bomber Serial Number 41-25315 named 'Early Delivery' on a bombing mission over Viterbo, Italy. The aircraft had a crew of 10. The aircraft was last sighted at 1145 hours after being hit by flak. The Missing Air Crew Report noted that there were three witnesses on other aircraft that saw 'Early Delivery' crash. At least one parachute was observed.

Nine of the 10 crew members were listed as Killed in Action on the MACR report dated 9 March 1944. The Bombardier, 2LT James S. (IO) Jackson was taken Prisoner of War and was later listed as Returned to Military Control.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Purple Heart
Air Medal with Award Numeral 4
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 41-25315 'Early Delivery' had the following crew on 3 March 1944.

● Pilot: 1LT Floyd Albert Hanger [Honoree Record ID 307954]
● Co-Pilot: 2LT Gerald Lovell Goodrich [Honoree Record ID 307955]
● Navigator: 2LT Irving (NMI) Garfinkel [Honoree Record ID 307956]
● Bombardier: 2LT James S. Jackson [Prisoner of War later Returned to Military Control]
● Engineer: SSGT William John Blaha [Honoree Record ID 307957]
● Radio Operator: SSGT Edward Fred Mihalovits [Honoree Record ID 307958]
● Right Waist Gunner: SGT Carl Heinz Spoerer [Honoree Record ID 77882]
● Left Waist Gunner: SGT Vernon Virgil Vivian [Honoree Record ID 307959]
● Ball Turret Gunner: SGT William Harvey Wilson [Honoree Record ID 307960]
● Tail Turret Gunner: SGT Joseph Donald Ohrazda [Honoree Record ID 307961]

Burial

Sergeant Carl Heinz Spoerer is buried at the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial in Florence, Provincia di Firenze, Toscana, Italy, in Plot F, Row 6, Grave 32.

[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.]