2nd Lt. Clarence Aaberg
Clarence Arnold "Pappy" Aaberg (26 April 1918 in Alexandria, North Dakota - 25 February 1944 over Southern England) was an American Second Lieutenant in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross which was awarded for heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight.
Early life[]
Clarence was born in Alexandria, North Dakota on 26 April 1918. He was the son of Carl and Anna Aaberg. His siblings included two sisters (Orlyn and Anna May) and two brothers (Walter and Curtis).
Military service[]
He enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces on 18 November 1941 from Missoula, Montana (ASN: 19055438). He was a pilot in the 711th Bombardment Squadron, 447th Bombardment Group. He received a battlefield commission and was promoted to Second Lieutenant.
Death[]
On 25 February 1944, while returning from a bombing mission that took place over Regensburg, Germany his B-17G, "Rosemary III", lost 3 engines. He was able to nurse it back to southern England where his crew was able to bail out safely but his parachute failed to open. He is buried in the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial in Coton, England and also has a memorial stone in East Riding Rock Cemetery, Fortuna, North Dakota.
Awards & decorations[]
- Pilot Badge[1]
- Distinguished Flying Cross[1]
- Purple Heart[1]
- American Defense Service Medal[1]
- American Campaign Medal[1]
- European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with campaign star[1]
- World War II Victory Medal[1]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Together We Served". Together We Served. https://airforce.togetherweserved.com/usaf/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person&ID=160132. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
Other sources[]
- https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&tf=F&q=Clarence+Aaberg&bc=&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=1705506
- https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XKVM-TD2
- https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MC8H-HR9
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47104673/clarence-arnold-aaberg
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/133328061/clarence-arnold-aaberg
The original article can be found at Clarence A. Aaberg and the edit history here.