World War II Illinois Veterans Memorial

Angelo Alesandrini thought his fighter plane had been shot down. The first lieutenant had just pulled his P-47 fighter out of a strafing pass against a Nazi armored column in northern Italy when an anti-aircraft shell tore into his plane’s engine at about 3,000 feet. He thought he’d had it. “Oh, boy,” he said to himself in alarm. The fighter plane’s 2,000-horse- power engine immediately lost power. It had lost four of its 18 cylinders, but kept running.

Nearly 987,000 men and women from Illinois served in World War II. It was not entirely uncommon for multiple members of the same family to be serving our country at the same time. The following story about a family from a small community in southeastern Illinois is an incredible example of going “All Out for Victory”.

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Our first mission was to bomb Frankfort, Germany’s submarine pens. We lost several planes on this mission and we had 47 holes in our plane including the loss of the right wing flap and a 3 foot hole in our tail assembly.

In November 1944 we sailed from Newport News, Virginia for assignment to the 15th Air Force in southern Italy. We became a crew in the 778th Squadron, 464th Group.

The 34th Bomb Group was stationed at Mendelsham, England, Station 156 from which my crew and I flew 20 missions in a B-24. We were over Utah Beach on D-Day.

Carl E. Donnoe USAAF
T/Sgt. 5th Air Force
417th Bombardment Group (Light)
675th Bombardment Squadron
“Dauntless Demons”
Carl Eugene Donnoe was from the tiny hamlet of Billett, Illinois, just north of St. Francisville near the Wabash River. He was born on February 20, 1923 and served in the U.S. Army Air Force in the Pacific Theatre. He was in […]

Louis achieved the rank of Flight Officer and received the Air Medal and two Campaign Ribbons.

Marion Eugene “Goose” Duckworth was born in Fayette County, Illinois on February 7, 1920. He was inducted into the U. S. Army Air Force on February 3, 1943 at Camp Grant, Illinois. Prior to entering service, Marion was employed as an aircraft riveter for McDonnell Aircraft, formerly Curtis Wright Aircraft in St. Louis, Missouri.

I was attending college when I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. It was November, 1942. After two years of training in California and Texas, I graduated as a twin engine pilot 2nd Lieutenant.

Harold G. Flansburgh entered service from his hometwon of Chicago, Illinois. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces, assigned to the 50th Fighter Control Squadron.
Harold Flansburgh
Chicago, IL