Killed in Action (KIA) 30 November 1944.



Extract from an article called "The Cap" in the "Tri County Canary", newspaper supplement, provided by Martin Johnson of Eau Claire, WI



"A new co-pilot in the 391st Squadron, Lt. Bob DeLauriers, recalled, "Capt. Hanson came

into the officers club the night before, quite agitated, which was unlike his character. He

tossed his cap over to me, and walked out. Later, in the hut, I wanted to return it to him,

but he just said, "Keep it!" I had high regards for him as he was very well liked in the squadron, so the next morning I wore it out to the plane. Storing it under my seat in our plane, we took off on the mission. It was a very bad mission due to the flak and just

after the target, Capt. Hanson's plane went right past us burning, when they went down. We

arrived back at Mendlesham with over 240 flak holes in our aircraft, and there was a large flak hole just inches from Oscar's cap. If he hadn't tossed me the cap, it would have gone

down with his plane. From then on, I considered it a "lucky" cap, and I wore it everywhere, including my thirty five missions. I survived and stored it in my wife's hat box where it's been

ever since 1945!"