Ahlwardt, Donald Leo

Name and Rank, First Lieutenant Donald Leo Ahlwardt.

Unit/placed, 331st Bomber Squadron, 94th Bomber Group (Heavy).

Donald was born on May 4, 1923 in Danbury, Woodbury County, Iowa.

Father, Lewis Ahlwardt.

Mother, Maggie Ahlwardt.

Sisters, Betty L., Evalyn, Luella and Gladys Ahlwardt.

Brother, Lewis Ahlwardt Jr.

Donald entered the service from Ft. Des Moines, Iowa in Dec. 21, 1941with service number # 1703335.

Donald L. Ahlwardt rank/duty was a First Lieutenant/Pilot (B-17) in the331st Bomber Squadron .

Donald’s crewmembers and their position onboard the plane a B-17 were;

1st Lt. Donald L. Ahlwardt Pilot

2nd Lt. Raymond S. Weck Co Pilot

F/O. Allen C. Carter Bombardier

2nd Lt.Frank M. Foster Navigator

T/Sgt. William F. Westphal Radio Operator

T/Sgt. Paul A. Lampman Jr. Top Turret Gunner

S/Sgt. Walter E. Millican Right Waist Gunner

S/Sgt. Ralph Allen Asst. Engineer/Gunner

S/Sgt. Ellick Franken Left Waist Gunner

Sgt. Robert R. McConnell Tail Gunner

Donald L. Ahlwardt was Killed in Action in a mid-air collision with a other B-17 (over Germany) on the way back from a mission, on Mar. 3, 1944, and he is honored with the a Air Medal With 2 Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, Army Aviator Badge, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, WW II Victory Medal.

Walls of the missing.

Donald L/ Ahlwardt is mentioned/buried at Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Margraten, Eijsden-Margraten Municipality, Limburg, Netherlands.

Tablets Of The Missing.

He has two Memorial graves at Liston Township Cemetery, Danbury, Woodbury County, Iowa, USA and

Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside, Riverside County, California, USA.

Thanks to https://8thafhs.org/bomber/94bg.htm

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LY54-6JK

Jean Louis Vijgen, ww2-Pacific.com ww2-europe.com

Air Force Info, Rolland Swank.

ABMC Website, https://abmc.gov

Marines Info, https://missingmarines.com/ Geoffrey Roecker

Seabees History Bob Smith https://seabeehf.org/

Navy Info, http://navylog.navymemorial.org

POW Info, http://www.mansell.com Dwight Rider and Wes injerd.