Possible location of crash site and body of Harry Parker, 325th FG Ace, still MIA

[Mysticpuma]

Harry Parker was an Ace with the 325th Fighter Group who is still listed as MIA.

From an article in a local newspaper comes the following information which details where he crashed and the removal of his body to be buried. Looking at the information provided it seems possible that it could be proved where he crashed and where his body now is....but who are 'the people' who undertake this work and would 'they' be interested?

Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Parker was last heard from on a strafing mission, attacking ground targets from his low-flying aircraft, on April 2, 1945, when he was south and west of Vienna, according to the book.

Now, much more information about his final mission seems to have come to light.

Carolina Lambalot of Milford, who organized the rededication of the town’s World War II monument this year, began corresponding with Matjaz Partlic, whose father grew up in Pesnica, a village in Slovenia, which borders on Austria and where he says Parker died.

Partlic wrote to Lambalot that his father was only four when Parker’s plane landed in the village, but the story of Harry Alfred Parker is part of the villagers’ oral tradition.

In a letter to Lambalot, Partlic said Parker’s plane was not shot down, but was involved in an accident while his plane was flying very low and apparently “hit into a vertical railway signalization with one of his wings and the plane crashed into a hill and the pilot was killed instantly.

“The Germans who were occupying our country took all of Parker’s documents and transported his body into the neighboring village of Jarenina,” wrote Partlic.

“There the German authorities instructed the grave digger to bury him and told him his name was Harry Parker. On July 17, 1947 Parker’s remains were transported to the American military cemetery in Kosutnjak in Beograd, Serbia. A little while later his remains were yet again transported and buried in Florence, Italy, along with others from that cemetery.”

Partlic, who describes himself as an amateur historian, wrote that he lives in the city of Maribor, near Pesnica, where Parker’s plane landed.

Maribor was a major industrial center with an extensive armament industry where the occupying Germans manufactured airplane engines, he said, and the city was systematically bombed by the Allies, and “paid a very high price,” with bombs severely damaging nearly half the city’s buildings, nearly 3,000, and killing 483 civilians.

In one of Partlic’s letters to Carolina Lambalot, he said he hopes the village of Pesnica “will soon put up a humble memorial that will testify the place of death of this hero, who fought for our freedom as well.”

Partlic also sent Lambalot a copy of the report for Parker’s last mission, number 281 of April 2, 1945 and a copy of Parker’s exhumation report.

Bruce Parker said former Milford selectman Rosario “Sarooch” Ricciardi, who served in the army during World War II and knew his uncle, started looking into the possibility of a Medal of Honor, which is awarded by the President of the United States in the name of the U.S. Congress.

Bruce said Ricciardi and his fellow soldiers knew Parker would die in the war.

“You can’t volunteer for every hazardous mission there is” and survive, he said. At the rededication of Milford’s World War II memorial in September, he said, Ricciardi told Bruce Parker, “ ‘You’ve got to do something for this man,’ and I said I would.”

The U.S. military needs to do more research and at least update his uncle’s file, he said, because he is still considered missing in action.

“Nobody knew what happened to him,” said Parker. “It would bring some kind of closure” to the remaining family members."

The original article is here. I don't really want to detract from what I consider an important story by the heading of the article asking for a MOH for Harry so hopefully we can stay away from that as it is most unlikely.

http://www.cabinet.com/cabinet/cabin...r-milford.html

However a possible lead into his death, crash site and body is surely worth following up?

Cheers, MP

[RSwank]

The people that would need to be contacted is the Defense Pow/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) http://www.dpaa.mil/

There is a contact page here: http://www.dpaa.mil/Contact/Contact-Us/

From what you have written, I believe the body was recovered from the first burial site along with the "tentative" identification as Harry Parker. The body moved to a temporary cemetery in Serbia and apparently is now buried as an unknown in Florence American Cemetery. They could not make a positive identification at the time, most likely because skull was either missing or there was not enough of it do to dental record matching. The primary means for skeletal identification was the teeth and corresponding dental records.

Not able at that time to make a positive id, he was buried as an unknown. Perhaps you can make contact with the nephew and provide him with your new information. Then he, as a family member can make the DPAA contact.

[edwest2]

You can try checking here:


https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memo...rican-cemetery


And getting some information from this site:


http://www.325fg.org/parker-harry-p1747-325fg.cfm




Ed

[Alex Smart]

Hello,
I do know that at this time there is a team in Austria .
I will contact my Austrian colleague to notify them to look at this forum and this thread.
Alex

[edwest2]

I also suggest this site:



http://forum.armyairforces.com/





Ed

[Heuser]

Gentlemen,

the crash location is matching with the Unknown X-76 in Belgrad.

Hope this helps,

Heuser

[RSwank]

Here is the info on X-76 Belgrade.

http://www.7tharmddiv.org/docrep/ima...GRADE/X-76.pdf

Interesting that the skull was intact and a tooth chart was made. If that was Harry it is odd they could not make an identification. Even though X-76 was believed to be lost in March 45 you would think that Harry's loss on April 2 would not have ruled him out of consideration.

[Alex Smart]

Hello,
The three named airmen in the X-76 report .
Meidinger - MACR 13067 - a/c 44-25041 - 03/18/1945.
Mathias - MACR 12561 - a/c 42-28558 - 03/04/1945.
Brookman - MACR 13070 - a/c #44-25759 - 03/19/1945.
Two are still reported as mia.
The third, 1Lt. Wilburn R. Brookman is recorded in the ABMC lists.
Alex

[Mysticpuma]

Very much appreciate the feedback and details in this thread. I have an interest in the 325th FG and the possibility of recovering/finding or giving closure to the family is encouraging, even after so many years.

Thanks for your input everyone.

Cheers, Neil

[vathra]

Puma,

Harry Parker is not listed as being buried in Yugoslavia, and later transferred.
He is still listed as missing over Yugoslavia.

He could be X-76.