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| Tech Sergeant Gerald Lauffer was a B-17 waist gunner in the 303rd Bomb Group. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37089545
http://www.americanairmuseum.com/unit/252
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Gerald was born on September 3, 1919 in Kansas. His parents Ray and Sarah were born in Kansas and West Virginia, respectively. His father worked as a farmer. Gerald had one older brother, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. His mother passed away in 1930 when Gerald was 10 years old.
He was drafted into the US Army Air Forces in March 1942 and served as a Technical Sergeant in the 360th Bomb Squadron of the 303rd Bomb Group (aka Hell’s Angels), whose motto was “Might in Flight”. The 303rd BG was established in February 1942 and was equipped with B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers. It was based at Molesworth, England and began flying combat missions over France and Germany in November 1942.
TSgt. Lauffer flew his first combat mission on 16 April 1943 as left waist gunner aboard B-17F 42-5382 The Witch’s Tit, which was assigned to bomb Lorient, France. He flew his second mission the very next day as a waist gunner aboard B-17F 42-5390 The Avenger, which bombed a Focke Wulf factory in Bremen, Germany. Two weeks later he again flew as a waist gunner aboard The Avenger on a mission to bomb the harbor installations at St. Nazaire, France. TSgt. Lauffer was credited with shooting down a German FW-190 fighter during the mission, however he was hit by enemy fire at some point and was one of fifteen 303rd BG crewmen killed in action on the mission. The Avenger was able to return to Molesworth with no other casualties.
Gerald L. Lauffer is buried in Piedmont Cemetery in Piedmont, Kansas. His younger brother Charles also served in the USAAF and survived the war.
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This profile was written by Bob Fuerst. "I’m a NASA engineer, B-17 Flying Fortress enthusiast, and amateur genealogist so this kind of research is an ideal outlet for me. But more than anything, it’s a way to express my sincere appreciation for The Greatest Generation and the sacrifices that they made, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They should never be forgotten and I’m grateful to Don for allowing me to play a small part in honoring them."
Last year on this date I profiled John Boyle of the 9th Infantry Division. You can read about John here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
These individual stories are fascinating...there are 400,000 unique stories like this one, but each one represents a life and a family suffering the loss, so many years ago....Memorial Day has always had a special meaning to me, but every day should bring notice to these warriors that had no opportunity to come home to the Country that they defended.
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