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| Lt. Marvin Shavlan was a P-47 pilot based in France. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74652124/marvin-jay-shavlan/photo 354th Fighter Group by William H. Ness, pg. 206 |
Marvin Jay Shavlan never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on September 11, 1919 in New York. His parents Hirman and Dorothy were born in New York and Ohio, respectively. All of Marvin's grandparents were born in Russia. His father worked as a men's clothing salesman. Marvin had one older brother and one younger brother. Marvin graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Commerce and Business Administration. His parents were separated and would divorce in 1945.
He enlisted in the army in January 1942. He volunteered for the Army Air Forces and became a second lieutenant in the 356th Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group which was equipped with P-51 Mustangs. It was the first group to fly them in combat. Its main role was escorting heavy bombers on missions to mainland Europe. By September 1944 it had moved its airbase from England to France.
In November 1944 the 354th FG had their P-51s swapped for P-47 Thunderbolts. The focus changes from bomber escort missions to ground attack missions. Lt. Shavlan was killed on December 4, 1944. During this time the 354th FG was engaged in dive-bombing group targets, often during poor weather. I don't know the circumstances of Lt. Shavlan's death.
His grave is at Beth Shalom Cemetery in Oregon, Ohio.
Last year on this date I profiled Medal of Honor hero Archer Gannon, 6th Armored Division. You can read about Archer 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
Dear family of Lt. Shavlan, Your family member was a hero to us all! He answered the call when it was made. We owe him and all of you a great debt for his sacrifice. Another member of the Greatest Generation Thank you! RIP.
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