Eugene J Zakovec

Military ROLL OF HONOUR
media-41298.png UPL 41298 1Lt Eugene J Zakovec, entered the USAAF from: Nebraska. He trained as a fighter pilot and served with the 385th Fighter Squadron. On the 9th April 1945 Eugene was part of an Escort operation supporting 8th Air Force bombers on a mission to Germany. He was flying in the No.4 position of a flight from the 384th Fighter Squadron when they approached the German airfield at Rheine. He attacked the airfield and when he was pulling out of his strafing run his P-38 Lightning (42-67957) was hit by heavy ground fire. The aircraft climbed steeply for about 100ft and then slammed into the ground and exploded, killing Eugene outright. He is buried in the Ardennes American Cemetery Neupre, Belgium...

Photo source: Patty Carr

Michel Beckers WW2CRASHSITERESEARCH

Object Number - UPL 41298 - 1Lt Eugene J Zakovec, entered the USAAF from: Nebraska. He trained as a fighter pilot and served with the 385th Fighter Squadron. On the 9th April...

Eugene entered the USAAF from: Nebraska. He trained as a fighter pilot and served with the 385th Fighter Squadron. On the 9th April 1945 Eugene was part of an Escort operation supporting 8th Air Force bombers on a mission to Germany. He was flying in the No.4 position of a flight from the 384th Fighter Squadron when they approached the German airfield at Rheine. He attacked the airfield and when he was pulling out of his strafing run his P-38 Lightning (42-67957) was hit by heavy ground fire. The aircraft climbed steeply for about 100ft and then slammed into the ground and exploded, killing Eugene outright. He is buried in the Ardennes American Cemetery Neupre, Belgium...

Connections

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Units served with

Aircraft

42-67957

  • Aircraft Type: P-38 Lightning
  • Unit: 364th Fighter Group 385th Fighter Squadron

Places

Aerial photography of Honington airfield looking south, the technical site with four C-type hangars and bomb dump are at the top, 21 June 1946. Photograph taken by No. 540 Squadron, sortie number RAF/106G/UK/1589. English Heritage (RAF Photography).

Honington

  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: RAF Honington

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Morse Bluff, Saunders County, Nebraska, USA 22 May 1921

Other

Killed in Action (KIA)

Rheine Germany 9 April 1944

Revisions

Date
ContributorMichelbe
Changes
Sources

Michel Beckers WW2CRASHSITERESEARCH

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3893 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list

Eugene J Zakovec: Gallery (1 items)

Object number: UPL 41298 - 1Lt Eugene J Zakovec, entered the USAAF from...