Stanley Donald Gue (1921 - 1944)

Born 4 Apr 1921 in San Diego, California

Ancestors

Died 6 Oct 1944 at age 23 in Brandenburg, Germany

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Biography

Killed in Action

TSGT Stanley Gue was Killed in Action during World War II.

TSGT Stanley Gue served in the United States Army Air Forces in World War II
Service started:
Unit(s): "The West Virginian" (B-17)
Service ended: KIA Oct 6,1944

TSGT Stanley Gue was in the US Army Air Corps, where he was a Top-Turret Gunner, on a B-17 "Flying Fortress" in WWII named the "West Virginian" and unfortunately, that was where he met his death. On October 6, 1944 the West Virginian was flying in a squadron with about 20 -30 other planes, over Brandenburg, Germany, on their way to bomb Tegel Tank Works; a German fuel supplier. They were about 10 miles away, when they were reportedly ambushed by somewhere from 60-100 airplanes from above and behind, and killing all but 2 of the B-17's crew. (1st Lt. Metro Marchyn (Navigator), & 1st Lt. Raymond C. Noiseau (Pilot) lived; but were held as POWs in Germany until the end of the war.)

Stanley is now buried in Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial; located in Neuville-en-Condroz, Arrondissement de Liège, Liège, Belgium.

The 6 other crew members of the West Virginian, that lost their lives on that day were;

SSGT Paul Provincial Ball-Turret Gunner

SSGT James Burns Jr. Waist-Turret Gunner

2nd Lt. William J. Feuerstein Bombardier

TSGT Norman S. Weiss Radio Operation/ Gunner

SSGT Donald T. McGraw Tail Gunner

1st Lt. William A. Waggoner Co-Pilot

These brave men, along with many others, received purple hearts, for being killed in action, and I am grateful for their service to our country. The crew of the West Virginian ran about 30 successful missions together, before they met their demise that day in 1944.

The West Virginian was a part of the 385th Bomb Group, as well as the 551st Bomb Squadron.

The 385th Bomb Group, who took the nickname "Van's Valiants" after their first Commanding Officer Brigadier General Elliot Vandevanter, flew B-17s from Great Ashfield, Suffolk. The Group led the famous attack on the Focke-Wolfe aircraft factory at Marienburg on 9 October 1943, during which only two out of one hundred B-17s were lost and all of the buildings on the site were damaged or destroyed. They won two Distinguished Unit Citations. The first, awarded to all 4th Bomb Wing Groups, was for accurately dropping their pay load on an aircraft factory at Regensburg, on 17 August 1943 and the Group's second was awarded after leading a difficult long-range mission to destroy an aircraft repair works at Zwickau, south-west Germany, on 12 May 1944.

Sources

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56358499/stanley-d-gue

"United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XC6F-37B : accessed 6 December 2018), Stanley D Gue in household of Stanley M Gue, San Diego, San Diego, California, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 79, sheet 9A, line 2, family 264, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 191; FHL microfilm 2,339,926.

"United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8GN-NWD : 5 December 2014), Stanley D Gue, enlisted 16 Sep 1942, San Diego, California, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.

http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/15235

http://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/205754

"United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K98Q-MQL : 14 March 2018), Stanley Gue in household of Galen Gue, Councilmanic District 1, San Diego, San Diego Judicial Township, San Diego, California, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 62-2, sheet 11B, line 79, family 272, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 447.

"California Birth Index, 1905-1995," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VG6T-5ZM : 27 November 2014), Stanley D Gue, 04 Apr 1921; citing San Diego, California, United States, Department of Health Services, Vital Statistics Department, Sacramento.