Okey Richard Coplin
Military ROLL OF HONOURCrew B-17 #42102547 'Rose of York' [62 mission veteran], on return from 63rd bombing mission [ Berlin ], A/C hit by concentrated and accurate AA fire, last contact indicated one engine out and another trailing gasoline, failed to return FTR, posted MIA, crashed into North Sea. Changed to Killed in Action (KIA).
Air Medal w/Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Elizabeth, The Princess, Rose of York
- Unit: 306th Bomb Group 367th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 3 February 1945
Places
![A bomber crew of the 306th Bomb Group wave to Picture Post Girls in front of a B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-24471) nicknamed "Four of a Kind" at Thurleigh in December 1942. Image stamped on reverse: '"Picture Post" [stamp], 'Passed for Publication 11 Dec 1942.' [stamp], '238038.' [Censor no.] Handwritten in censor's blue pencil on reverse: 'American Flying Fortress crew are introduced to the girls they will meet at Picture Post Xmas Party.'](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-379028.jpg.webp?itok=6Gc6iR0j)
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Bedford
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Wirt County, WV, USA | 13 October 1925 | born on 13 October 1925 in Wirt County, West Virginia. |
|
Enlisted |
Clarksburg, WV, USA | 6 January 1944 | Enlisted in the military on 6 January 1944 at Clarksburg, West Virginia. |
|
Died Killed in Action (KIA) |
North Sea | 3 February 1945 | Killed in Action (KIA) |
|
Buried |
Tablets of the missing, Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial. |
Revisions
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 12283 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database