Gunter Ezra Fowler (1907 - 1966)

Born 3 Dec 1907 in Colorado, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Irene K. (Mitchell) Fowler — married 6 Apr 1928 in Santa Ana, Orange, California, United States

Died 13 Apr 1966 at age 58 in Los Angeles, California, United States

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Biography

Gunter Ezra Fowler was a Coloradan.

Gunter was born in 1908. He is the son of George W. Fowler and Cora Lee Moore. He worked as a newspaper photographer.

A 1966 obituary in “The San Bernardino County Sun”^[1] notes:

“… Fowler's assignment with OSS was to drop by parachute behind the Nazi lines and join with the Yugoslav partisan forces led by one Joseph Broz. Broz is better known today as Marshal Tito, Yugoslavia's head of state.

Fowler jumped into the middle of trouble. Tito was having a tough time then with liaison problems with the Allies.

Randolph Churchill was also there to help solve those problems. Fowler’s job was to make a motion picture record of the Yugoslav guerrilla war and get it out to the free world.

Fowler shot the film and got it aboard a courier plane, giving the first films of Tito to the world. But Perry didn't make it. As he recalled, there was just one ambush too many.

He had the distinction of talking his way out from in front of a firing squad.

Fowler actually shouted down the commander of the executioners, claiming that he was not a spy. He had the foresight to destroy his OSS credentials before his capture.

He demanded treatment as a legitimate prisoner of war and finally got it after endless months of questioning by the Gestapo.

Liberated, he got home just in time for VE Day….”

Sources

1. ↑ “The San Bernardino County Sun”, (San Bernardino, California), 15 Apr 1966, page 26

"United States Census, 1910", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKW1-M69 : Fri Oct 06 23:18:20 UTC 2023), Entry for George A Fowler and Cora Fowler, 1910.

"United States Census, 1920", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHQK-ZQZ : Thu Nov 09 04:42:50 UTC 2023), Entry for Cora Fowler and George Fowler, 1920.

"California, County Marriages, 1850-1953", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8FH-Y2P : Thu Oct 19 17:10:39 UTC 2023), Entry for Perry G Fowler and Irene K Mitchel, 6 Apr 1928.

"United States Census, 1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K9ZN-9D6 : Fri Oct 06 22:01:41 UTC 2023), Entry for Perry G Fowler and Irene Fowler, 1940.

United States, World War II Prisoners of War, 1941-1945, , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29D-9DYX : 18 February 2016), Gunter Fowler, 05 Jan 1945; citing Military Service, Germany, NARA NAID 1263907 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

"United States 1950 Census", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6XGH-VFB4 : Thu Nov 16 08:41:05 UTC 2023), Entry for Perry G Fowler and Irene K Fowler, 8 April 1950. Newspaper photographer.

"California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VP4L-D66 : 26 November 2014), Perry E Fowler, 13 Apr 1966; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.

"California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VGRL-BL7 : 26 November 2014), Gunter E Fowler, 13 Apr 1966; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/99559143/gunter-e-fowler: accessed 16 November 2023), memorial page for Gunter E Fowler (3 Dec 1907–13 Apr 1966), Find a Grave Memorial ID 99559143, citing Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, Los Angeles County, California, USA; Maintained by Don Green (contributor 47124072).