Latest news with #JohnH.Danneker
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
19-year-old Pennsylvania soldier killed in WWII bomber crash accounted for
WASHINGTON, Pa. (WTAJ) — A U.S. Army Air Staff Sergeant from Pennsylvania who was killed when his bomber crashed into the Baltic Sea has been accounted for 80 years later. Staff Sgt. John H. Danneker, from Williamsport, was just 19 years old when he got on a B-24J 'Liberator' bomber on June 20, 1944. According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, he was considered missing in action when the plane crashed into the Baltic Sea off the coast of Denmark after colliding with another B-24 in the same formation. While the pilot and co-pilot were able to bail out and survive, it was believed that Danneker and the rest of the crew had died. The U.S. War Department issued a finding of death for him on June 21, 1945. He was later declared to be non-recoverable on May 12, 1950. According to the agency, a Danish diver came across the possible wreckage in 2019 and alerted the Danish Royal Navy. Through exploring and investigating the watery grave, the plane was found to have a .50 caliber machine gun with a damaged serial number that partially matched the plane Danneker was on. To identify Danneker's remains, scientists with the agency used dental records, anthropological analysis and material evidence. Danneker's name is on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery in Cambridge, England, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery in August 2025. For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at 1-800-892-2490. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
19-year-old Pennsylvania airman accounted for from World War II
(WHTM) — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that a 19-year-old Pennsylvania airman from World War II has been accounted for. According to the DPAA, U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. John H. Danneker, 19, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, who was killed in World War II, was accounted for on December 10, 2024. The DPAA says Danneker was assigned to the 565th Bombardment Squadron, 389th Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, in the European Theater in June of 1944. Danneker was assigned to be the left waist gunner onboard a B-24J 'Liberator' bomber. On June 20, 1944, Danneker went missing in action when his plane crashed into the Baltic Sea off the coast of Denmark after colliding with another B-24 in the same formation. The pilot and co-pilot of Danneker's aircraft were able to survive, but evidence pointed to the rest of the crew being killed in the crash. The American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), which was responsible for searching for and recovering fallen American soldiers, investigated the crash but was unable to find any of the missing crewmen. Danneker was declared non-recoverable on May 12, 1950, per the DPAA. In 2019, Danish divers encountered a WWII-era aircraft wreck in the general area where Danneker's aircraft crashed. The divers alerted the Royal Danish Navy, who found possible human remains and enough evidence to recommend archeological excavation. Archaeologists, divers, and volunteers from Project Recover returned to the site and found extensive evidence, including remains and ID tags of two crew members. The evidence was turned over to the Danish authorities and the DPAA laboratory. Scientists from DPAA used dental DNA and anthropological analysis to identify Danneker among the wreckage. Danneker's name is recorded on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. Danneker will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery in August 2025. Danneker's family was recently briefed on his identification. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
