Toepper

Born: 26 December 1923 - Illinois

Parents: J. Charles & Laura Toepper

Siblings: 2 sisters, 2 brothers

Home:

- 418 South Elgin Avenue - Forest Park, Illinois

Education:

- Saint James Catholic School - Maywood, Illinois

- Proviso Township High School

- Class of 1941

- Northwestern University (Evening School)

Inducted:

- 31 March 1943

Serial Number: 36655469
Training:

- Camp Hood - Killeen, Texas

- Camp Bowie - Brownwood, Texas

- Camp Harlingen - Killeeen, Texas

- Biggs Army Airfield - El Paso, Texas

- crews of B-17s and B24s trained there

- ball turret gunner

Stationed: North Pickenham, England

- member of crew #601

Deployment:

- went to England on the Queen Elizabeth

Unit:

- 856th Bomb Squadron, 492nd Bombardment Group (Heavy), 8th Air Force

- unit flew B24J Bombers

- unofficially known as "The Hard Luck Group" for number of casualties

- Toepper's crew was one of the original bomber crews

Engagements:

- 34 bombing missions over Europe

- 11 May 1944 - first mission

Killed in Action:

- 20 June 1944

- 856th assigned to bomb oil refineries at Politz, Germany

- on flight to target the squadron was attacked by Me-410s, Ju-88s, Me-109s, and Me-110s

- it is believed a captured B-24 joined formation and radioed their position to Luftwaffe

- Toepper's plane hit by rockets from Me-410s and Ju-88s

- plane fell from sky and crashed into Baltic Sea

- Toepper's body recovered by German's after crash

- buried in local cemetery

Buried:

- Interred: 11 June 1949

- Forest Home Cemetery - Forest Park, Illinois

- buried next to his grandmother

Medals:

- Purple Heart