Alabama State > Winston County, Army and AAF > T. M. Burns

Travis M. Burns

Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Forces

Service #34916638

Assigned as a Crew Member
On B-24 Liberator Tail Number 42-50486,
828th Bomber Squadron, 485th Bomber Group, Heavy
European Theater of Operations

Died on December 26, 1944

His B-24 was shot down by flak over Blechammer, Germany, See Note 1
Official Status Listed as Findings Of Death (FOD)

Memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery
Hombourg, Belgium

FindAGrave.com Memorial 56279849

AAF B-24D Liberator
A U.S. Army Air Forces Consolidated B-24D Liberator,
Flying over Maxwell Field, Alabama, unknown date.

Awards:

Air Medal

Purple Heart
Medal

American Campaign
Service Medal

European-African-
Middle Eastern
Campaign Medal

World War II
Victory Medal

These awards are based on the information below and per applicable DoD Directives and Awards Manuals and also as identified by the American Battle Monuments Commission:
Air Medal Awarded to any person serving in the U.S. Armed Forces who distinguishes, or has distinguished, himself or herself by heroic or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. This award to SGT Burns was identified by the American Battle Monuments Commission.
Purple Heart Awarded to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the U.S. Armed Forces, after April 5, 1917, has been wounded, killed, or who has died or may hereafter die of wounds received in action against an enemy of the United States. This award to SGT Burns was identified by the American Battle Monuments Commission.
American Campaign Service Medal Awarded for military service within the American Theater between December 7, 1941 and March 2, 1946.
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal Awarded for military service for service within the European-African-MiddleEastern Theater between December 7, 1941 and November 8, 1945.
World War II Victory Medal Awarded for military service between December 7, 1941 and December 31, 1946, both dates inclusive.

Sgt Burns entered the US Army Air Forces from Winston County,
Enlisting at Fort McPherson, Atlanta Georgia on January 17, 1944.

His loss is recorded in the
Alabama World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing, page 27, Winston County,
published by the War Department in June 1946.

His name is also listed on the American Battle Monuments Commission website.

Note 1: The death location, "Shot down over Blechammer, Germany" is based on the best information available at this time. In the case of Sgt Travis Burns, this location was determined based on multiple online resources including the Find A Grave website and "USAF Serial Number Search Results" for his assigned unit, and a careful process of elemination on the date of loss for this type of aircraft from the 828th Bomber Squadron.

Missing Air Craft Report, (MACR) 10924 identifies his B-24, tail number 42-50486, was "shot down by flak over Germany on December 26, 1944 with all nine crew members killed".

Anyone with a more specific location or other details is welcomed and encouraged to submit an email to: ww2updates@withmilitaryhonors.com.

The following information on this casualty is sourced from The National Archives Database:
Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938 - 1946 (Enlistment Records) - See Note 2

ARMY SERIAL NUMBER

34916638

NAME

BURNS TRAVIS M.

RESIDENCE: STATE

41 - ALABAMA

RESIDENCE: COUNTY

133 - WINSTON

PLACE OF ENLISTMENT

4344 - FT MCPHERSON ATLANTA GEORGIA

DATE OF ENLISTMENT

1/17/1944 - January 17, 1944

GRADE, ALPHA

8 - Private

BRANCH: CODE

20 - Air Corps

TERM OF ENLISTMENT

5 - Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law

LONGEVITY

#1 - Undefined Code

SOURCE OF ARMY PERSONNEL

5 - Enlisted Reserve or Medical Administrative Corps (MAC) Officer

NATIVITY

#1 - Undefined Code

YEAR OF BIRTH

1923 ( / /1923)

RACE AND CITIZENSHIP

1 - White, citizen

EDUCATION

4 years of high school

CIVILIAN OCCUPATION

580 - Mechanics and repairmen, airplane

MARITAL STATUS

6 - Single, without dependents

COMPONENT OF THE ARMY

3 - Reserves - exclusive of Regular Army Reserve and Officers of the Officers Reserve Corps on active duty under the Thomason Act (Officers and Enlisted Men -- O.R.C. and E.R.C., and Nurses-Reserve Status)

CARD, BOX, FILM REEL #

#, 0868, 3.290

Online Related Information:

No Additional Data Available at This Time

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Note 2. Information is sourced from the public domain and may be copied and distributed without permission.

Alabama State > Winston County, Army and AAF > Sergeant Travis M. Burns

Page last updated June 14, 2019