World War II Honoree

Alfred Drabnis

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Middleport, Pennsylvania

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: FLIGHT OFFICER. SERVED AS A BOEING B-17 ‘FLYING FORTRESS’ BOMBER PILOT ASSIGNED TO THE 339TH BOMB SQUADRON, 96TH BOMB GROUP, 8TH AIR FORCE ‘MIGHTY EIGHTH’ STATIONED AT THE U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES STATION #138, SNETTERTON HEATH AIRFIELD, ENGLAND. HE WAS FLYING HIS 25TH AND FINAL MISSION OF HIS COMBAT TOUR WHEN HE WAS KILLED DURING A BOMBING RAID ON THE SUBMARINE PENS AT EMDEN, GERMANY. AFTER COMPLETING THE BOMB RUN, HE WAS KILLED IN ACTION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1943 WHEN HIS BOMBER WAS ATTACKED BY SEVERAL ENEMY FW-190 FIGHTERS AND WAS SHOT DOWN IN THE VICINITY OF WIRDUM, GERMANY. HE IS BURIED IN THE ARDENNES AMERICAN CEMETERY LOCATED AT NEUPRE (NEUVILLE-EN-CONDROZ), BELGIUM. DECORATIONS AND MEDALS: DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS, AIR MEDAL WITH 3 BRONZE OAK LEAF CLUSTERS AND THE PURPLE HEART WAS AWARDED POSTHUMOUSLY. THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS WAS AWARDED TO THE FLIGHT OFFICER FOR HEROISM OR EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT WHILE PARTICIPATING IN AERIAL FLIGHT. THE AIR MEDAL WAS AWARDED FOR MERITORIOUS ACHIEVEMENT WHILE PARTICIPATING IN AERIAL FLIGHT.