OURY, NOEL A. Nov 26, 1944 age 22 KIA Germany

NOEL ARMAND OURY  b. Dec 25, 1921 Cochrane, Ont., Canada d. Nov 26, 1944

Killed in Action Germany

2^nd Lt Co-Pilot O-1998532 Army Air Force 852^nd Bomb Squad 491^st Bomb Group

Buried Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia

Parents: Harry Michael & Mary

Sibling: George LaVerne

This family demonstrates some real cultural diversity. Both parents were born in England. Harry came alone on a ship in 1913 from England to Portland, ME, final destination Toronto.  Mary was Irish and lived in Toronto. One year old Noel arrived with his mother on June 24, 1923 in Detroit by ship from Canada join Harry already in Detroit. Harry became a mill operator at Ford Motor Co. They moved around the city same as several other families here. From Washburn to Woodmont and back to Washburn. Perhaps this was wan effect of the Depression and changing employment circumstances.

Noel registered for the draft Feb 16, 1942 in Detroit; he worked as a newspaper station supervisor and also was a student at Michigan State College. At State College his sport was fencing. He stood 5’9”, 140 lbs with hazel eyes and brown hair. In August 1942 he entered the service from Henrico, Virginia so he shows up in records having Virginia residency.

Nancy

On July 1943 he had a landing accident in a PT-17 at Parker Aux Field, Florida. In 1944 he was stationed at Westoverfield, Mass. That same year in March he married Nancy Bolling Williams from a socially prominent Richmond, VA family. The wedding announcement in the newspaper describes her as ‘one of Richmond’s loveliest debutantes’.

SN 42-110167 Firebird

Then he was stationed at the base in Norfolk, England. Noel was on the crew of a B-24J Liberator, SN 42-110167 “Firebird”, piloted by 1^st Lt. Daniel C. Budd. The Misburg Riad was scheduled for Nov 26, 1944. The objective for the 491^st  was the one remaining oil refinery still in production at Misburg. This would mark the second latgest air battle of WWII. The target was no stranger to the Group – it was over Misburg on Sept 12 that the 491^st lost 2 planes but that was over two months ago; they weren’t losing planes these days. This strike would require deeper penetration into Germany than any of the other targets scheduled the next day.

Here is an Air Force training film about the B-24 Liberator:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeQKXS7HEik



Briefing was at 0530 and by 0904, thirty-one planes were up and forming. At 1012, one craft aborted with a gas leak, and shortly after the formation left the English coast at 1030, another aircraft turned back with no radio. Little is known of the events aboard ‘Problem Child’, ‘Firebird’ or Cloughley’s plane. Of the 28 men manning these 3 planes 24 were KIA. German records do state that the wreckage of these aircraft, together with Warczak’s from the low squadron, were so close together that it was impossible to determine what bodies belonged to what B-24. Thirty-one B-24s were dispatched that day – 3 turned back, 28 reached the target, 16 never returned.

 

Misburg Refinery

Noel was buried at Arlington in a grave with other crew in 1950. Note the Remarks: he is buried in a common grave.

(Nancy remarried 1952 to a man whose name was actually Fauntleroy.)