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Legacy Of:
Warren
E.
Klein |
| Personal Legacy |
WARREN E. KLEIN
World war II Memories
and Biography
(Taken from letter to Will Lundy)
February 23, 2003 (E-mail)
Dear Sir
The following is information that I have about my father.
He was a left waist gunner on the Star Valley B-24. The crew was as follows:
1st Lt. Carl A. Bohnisch - pilot
1st Lt. Jack Giffin - copilot
2nd Lt. Harold Spink-bombardier
1st Lt. Hubert Ede - navigator
S/Sgt. Warren Klein - left waist 1st armorer
T/Sgt. Bernard Ohler - radio
S/Sgt. Ernest J. Morin -tail gunner
S/Sgt. Ken E. Hall-right waist, 2nd engineer
S/Sgt. Eugene Egerton - ball turret
T/Sgt. William Leverick, top turret 1st engineer
Our father was first assigned to the 817th AAF Base Unit. His MOS was Armorer Gunner 612-aviation air crew member.
Battles and campaigns listed on his honorable discharge: Air Offensive Europe G033 WD 45.
Decorations and Citations: European African Middle Eastern Service Medal, Air Medal GO 16 Hq. 2nd Bomb Division 16 Jan 1944, Purple Heart GO24.
Wounds received in action: European African Middle Eastern 4 Feb 1944. Reason and authority for separation: Convenience of Government RR 1-1 (demobilization) AR 615-365 15 Dec. 1944.
Service schools attended: Aerial Gunnery, Wendover Field, Utah
POW: 2/5/44 to 5/1/45
Continental Service: 1 yr 9 months 18 days
Foreign Service: 1 yr. 8 months 11 days
The only envelope with POW information that I have gives the following information:
Rank and Name - S/Sgt. Warren E. Klein
U. S. Prisoner of War No. - 1144
Came Name and No. - Stalag Luft 3
Subsidiary Camp NO. - Stalag Luft 4
Country - Germany
Dated: 12/7/44
Frank Komer continued to watch over our father at each internment camp and continued to be his best friend until their deaths. Frank became my Godfather further solidifying their friendship.
Frank Komer has also died and was also buried with full military honors.
I have a copy of the letter from the Frenchman that hid my father until he had to turn him over to the Germans. I will send that letter as an attachment in my next e-mail.
I hope that we will be able to continue this correspondence. It seems that my sister, Nancy, was not privy to the same information that our father had shared with me.
Respectfully,
Kathleen M. (Klein) Sykes
14539 Auburndale
Livonia, MI 48154
734-261-9338
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