World War II Honoree

James B. Coulson

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Iowa

Honored By

John Meurs

Relationship

Historian

SERVICE NUMBER: 37484766. SERVED AS A BALL TURRET GUNNER WITH THE 398TH BOMB GROUP, 601ST BOMB SQUADRON OF THE 8TH AIR FORCE BASED IN ENGLAND. HIS B-17 'UGLY DUCKLING' SERIAL NUMBER 42-102565, CRASHED IN THE IJSSEL LAKE, FORMER ZUIDER ZEE, NETHERLANDS, ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 26, 1944 AFTER A MISSION TO THE SYNTHETIC FUEL PLANT IN MISBURG, GERMANY. BOMBER WAS HIT BY FLAK OVER ZWOLLE, NETHERLANDS. WHOLE CREW BAILED OUT SAFELY BUT PERISHED IN THE ICE COLD WATER OF THE LAKE. ON APRIL 23, 1945 HIS BODY WASHED ASHORE AND WAS FOUND BY THE 1ST CANADIAN INFANTRY DIVISION. HE WAS INITIALLY BURIED IN THE MUNICIPAL CEMETERY OF ERMELO, HOLLAND AND LATER RE-INTERRED IN THE AMERICAN MILITARY CEMETERY OF NEUVILLE-EN-CONDROZ IN BELGIUM.