| |
Frederick C. Reinke 1st Lt.
Born Cincinnati, Ohio, March 28, 1920
He trained as a Bombardier at Selman Field Monroe, Louisiana. Flew over with Bob Harris's Crew.
On March 16, 1945, Reinke was sick, and did not go on the mission. The crew flying in , B-24 H #42-64448 Bottom's Up were lost on her105th mission.
In a cloud the aircraft turned upside down and fell into the Adriatic Sea before reaching the rendezvous point en-route to bomb Wiener-Neustadt marshalling yards.
There were no survivors.
Reinke was the sole survivor of the crew. He was then assigned to the 459 BG in Cerignola, Italy. He flew 15 combat missions in Europe.
At the end of the war in Europe, he was transferred to California in preparation for the invasion of Japan. His brother Milton Reinke, a B24 pilot in 376BG 512 SQ was shot down
on a raid to Stadt becoming a prisoner the previous year.
Fred Reinke was a long time resident of Smyrna, Georgia, where he died in December 1997. He was survived by two children, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren
Information and pictures provided by Fred C. Reinke, 721st Squadron
| |
