Donald Albert Appert

Maj Donald A. Appert attended two years at Cathedral High School and graduated from Technical High School in 1932. He attended St Cloud Teachers College for two years. He was employed at the Denver Register as columnist and reporter. | | He joined the Air Corps of the Regular Army at fort Snelling, Minnesota on 26 December 1940. He was sent overseas on 9 August 1943. | | The mission's objective was to deconcentrate German defenses, primarily fighter units, and draw them away from the main bomber routes across the continent. | | The aircraft was last observed with at least one and possibly both wings torn off after a collision with an enemy fighter which had been badly damaged. The collision was followed by a violent explosion at about 10,000 feet of. No parachutes were observed as the aircraft disappeared into the clouds at 1026 hours. | | It is also believed that, according to eyewitness statements, during the incident the aircraft also collided with another B-24 (42-7471) as it fell out of formation. | | The entire crew of eleven men was killed. Nine are remembered at the Walls of the Missing at Margraten. Michael Kvorjak and Carey Bratcher are remembered at the Tablets of the Missing at Cambridge Cemetery.