20-05-2025
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.
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