John B Goettke (O-513639)
| Name | Goettke, John B |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Army Serial # | O-513639 |
| State | Ohio |
| Date of death | 1944-08-10 |
| Plot, Row, Grave | L, 8, 10 |
| Cemetery | Brittany American Cemetery, St. James, France , Google Maps |
| Role | Pilot |
| Unit | 908th Field Artillery Battalion, 83rd Infantry Division |
| Awards |
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| Additional information |
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| 1st Lt John Goettke was listed on the 908th roster as being a Pilot in the Battalion HQ. Battle hardened by the bloody Normandy campaign of July 1944, the 908th met its greatest test at La Marchandais, a small farm in Brittany about 10 km south of the seaport cities of St. Malo and Dinard. There, on August 10, 1944, as the 908th fired its 105mm guns directly into the St. Malo fortifications, the battalion was subjected to fierce German counter-battery fire.According to the 908th history, early in the morning of the 10th, the Piper Cub that was carrying forward observers 1st Lt. Philip J. Reichert and 1st Lt. John B. Goettke exploded in mid-air, apparently struck by a shell. Both were killed instantly. (They were awarded the Air Medal posthumously.) 1st Lt. Manny Goodridge recalls seeing the plane being hit. The wing broke in the middle and both wing tips folded forward. More information can be found here. |
| Morning reports | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944-07-31 | 2LT | Promoted to First Lieutenant as of July 31, 1944 | HQ / 908FA | view page | |
| 1944-08-10 | 2LT | Killed in action on August 10, 1944 | 1981 | HQ / 908FA | view page |
| 1944-08-10 | 2LT | Listed in Record of Events for August 10, 1944 | HQ / 908FA | view page | |
| General Orders | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GO # | Rank | Award | Page | ||
| 83 / 1944 / #26 | 1LT |
Air Medal awarded for distinguishing himself by meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight from June 27, 1944 to July 25, 1944 in France. |
view page | ||
| 83 / 1944 / #29 | 1LT |
Air Medal awarded posthumously for distinguishing himself by meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight from June 27, 1944 to July 25, 1944 in France. |
view page | ||
| Various documents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Page | ||||
| Listed in HQ 908th Field Artillery Battalion, History 1944 as killed in action on August 10, 1944 as a Captain in HQ/908FA. | 12 | ||||
| Listed in HQ 908th Field Artillery Battalion, History 1944: Awarded an Air Medal (Posthumous) for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flights during the Normandy Campaign from 27 June 1944 to 25 July 1944 as a First Lieutenant in 908FA | 18 | ||||