The Utah Boy

[TrevorR]

St. Michael M. Keuchel

Radio Operator

39917907

B-24 42-51870

720th Bomb Squadron, 450th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force

 

On April 9, 1945 The 720th Bomb group was given a mission the bomb a German concentration area for the Start of Operation Buckland. Forty one B-24 from the 450th Bomb Group took off between 11:14-11:31 to bomb area designated "Apple Area". The group was carrying 88.20 tons of 20 lbs Fragmentation bombs. Approximately at 14:32 the order was given for "Bombs Away". According to MACR #13170 the B-24 42-51870 was seen the have lost its Left redder sending into a inward spin. The B-24 was hit by a cluster on bombs dropped from above. Four parachutes were have seen to open and the Plane had crashed and burned. White the Four men were defending to the ground German Machine Guns opened up on them killing two and wounding the other two. One of the survivors was killed once he landed and the other was captured by the germans and taken to a near by Field Hospital for treatment. Days later Allied forces pushed up the Crash site and found four graves within 50 yeads of the crash site. the first was marked with the name "Lt. Owen Wahl" , the second and third marked " Unknown American Airmen" the fourth was a much larger grave with five names" Julius Kuntz, Michael Payden, Michael Keuchel, Charles Brown, John Sanford"

 

Sgt. Keuchel had flown in over 40 missions and received a total of 5 Air Medal.

He is Buried in Florence America Cemetery Plot D, Row 9, Grave 16

 

[TrevorR]

#2

 

 

Here is a link to the Target area for the day

http://www.450thbg.com/real/targets/194504/pages/06.shtml

 

[decwriter]

It's good that you picked up this PH. The story is pretty good on the 450th BG website and I was looking at the PH when it was posted.

The crew of the week article was a hoot!