Anthony A Pankratz World War II Gold Star Veteran from Wisconsin

Anthony A Pankratz
World War II
World War II
Wisconsin
Missing in Action
B-17 Airmen
On November 11, 1943 Staff Sergeant Pankratz was declared a casualty of World War II. He served with honor in the United States Army Air Forces. He is remembered by the people of Wisconsin. May his positive example inspire us. Working together towards peace, mutual respect, and equality for all.
We all benefit when we work together to honor fallen American service members. The Honor States archive is a grassroots initiative. Of the people, by the people, for the people.
Click to Submit Update Request for this Fallen Service Member
Content Integrity Note
Our displayed data concerning the life and military history of Anthony A Pankratz is a work in progress. We've assembled a list of elements we are in the process of researching and reviewing. This profile was last edited on 2021-09-13 00:43:09.
View Missing Items List
Missing : Core Data
· Middle name
· Enlistment type
· Date of tour or service
Missing : Supplemental Data
· Birth + childhood location
· Educational background
· Marriage history
· Expanded references and citations
▲ Show Less
Service Details
This Profile ID123980
Service ID36241424
NameAnthony A Pankratz
FromAuburndale, Wood County, Wisconsin
Birth DateMarch 30, 1909
Casualty DateNovember 11, 1943
WarWorld War II
Service BranchArmy Air Forces
RankStaff Sergeant
SpecialtyRadio Operator
Unit/Group2nd Bomber Group, Heavy, 49th Bomber Squadron
Casualty TypeMissing in Action
LocationAdriatic Sea
BurialTablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery, Florence, Italy
Notable Awards
Air Medal
Purple Heart
Remembered Anthony A Pankratz is buried or memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery, Florence, Italy. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location.
Additional Details
Anthony A Pankratz was the son of Joseph J Pankratz and Lena Caroline Pongratz.

On November 11, 1943 he was on the crew of the B-17F #42-29646 "Peg O'My Heart" during a mission to attack the marshalling yards at Bolzano, Italy. They were in a group of two dozen aircraft, however only eight managed to reach the target area due to heavy cloud cover. Flak was intense and their aircraft sustained damage, causing them to lag behind and lose altitude. Eventually they crashed into the Adriatic Sea off Corsica. There were no survivors.
We identified 10 casualties in our archive related to the #42-29646 incident on November 11, 1943.
George Carlson :: Navigator
Joseph G Clyburne :: Waist Gunner
Jesse B Crecelius :: Co-Pilot
Harold W Fohey :: Waist Gunner
Wesley W Knox :: Ball Turret Gunner
Roy L Nichols :: Top Turret Gunner
Anthony A Pankratz :: Radio Operator
Scott R Thompson :: Bombardier
Walter P Tront :: Tail Gunner
Commendations + Awards
Please note this might not be a complete or completely accurate accounting. For some awards we use probability factors based on known service details. Thanks for your understanding.
Air Medal
Purple Heart
World War II Victory Medal
American Campaign Medal
Army Presidential Unit Citation
Army Good Conduct Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign
Notable Reference Sources
These are typically links to pages on external sites that have provided specific nodes of information. In most cases the information has some assurance of being crowd-sourced and vetted by a community of users.
Wisconsin Gold Star Veterans Gallery
Honoring the men and women of Wisconsin who gave their all for their country. May their example of courage and sacrifice be our guide. To be strong and responsible in our lives as citizens of the world. Through honest daily actions, we honor them.
Wisconsin was home to over 12,787 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
• 2,844 World War I
• 7,902 World War II
• 879 Korean War
• 1,162 Vietnam War
• 290 Prisoners of war
• 1,862 Missing in action
• 50 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 90 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 12 Medal of Honor recipients
Guardians of Honor Credits
Organizational Supporters - HonorStates.org and the National Unified Archive of American Gold Star Veterans is stringently curated. This attention to quality extends to our supporters program. We carefully research and screen prospective organizations we perceive as being suitably aligned with our mission
National D-Day Memorial National Memorial Day Parade with Spirit of 45 Rolling Thunder National Riders Walgreens Supported National Memorial Day Parade
Research Contributors - Groups and individuals who have been directly responsible for curating content. Some are experienced historians and archivists, others are enthusiastic members of the public who have suggested content additions or corrections.
Honor States Admin
Primary Sources - These are repositories for artifacts, documents, diaries, manuscripts, and other information that serve as original and authoritative sources of information.
National Archives (NARA) Library of Congress (LOC) Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) Findagrave.com Ancestry.com
honoring our fallen healing together Honoring our fallen. Together. Uniting us in meaningful common cause. When we work together to honor our Gold Star veterans, we heal our nation together. It's a team effort. Everyone's invited to join as a Citizen Historian and Guardian of Honor. - learn more
Here is Some Important Information!
featured supporter
U-Haul Supported National Memorial Day Parade
U-Haul has been a proud supporter of the Keep the Spirit of 45 Alive organization since its beginnings in 2009. In 2019, the Honor States organization was honored to be a featured content provider in the group parade tribute to the fallen at D-Day.
Featured National Supporter
Our Supporters are Essential Team Members! - learn more
thank you
We appreciate the generous help + encouragement from our research teams, volunteers, and foundational supporters. Each of them are essential team members contributing to the archive building progress.
progress
Honor States and the National Unified Archive of American Gold Star Veterans has an established policy of developing "most complete" datasets. These are groups, campaigns and actions of special historical significance. Some notable examples include:
impact
It's required 8+ years, 1000s of skilled labor hours, scores of active contributors, and millions of visitors to realize the value in the National Unified Archive of American Gold Star Veterans. We have not satisfied everyone. That's impossible, considering the unique + personal needs of individuals. However, our annual positivity ratings exceed 95%. It's tough to get that many people to agree on anything. So, we do seem to be on the right track.
honor
None of us would be who we are, or have what we have, if not for the strengths and sacrifices of others. Most of us enjoy lives of relative freedom. Our freedom has come at enormous cost. The price paid by those who gave their all. In service to their country, states and communities. Each of them a beloved member of our global family.
states
You meet a new friend. Common question. "Where are you from"? Alabama. Ohio. California. Grew up in the Bronx. Family lives in Pasadena. Went to school in Boston. Worked in Chicago. We have roots everywhere. These state and community identities are foundational in defining who Americans are at heart. It's the who and what we fight for when pressed.
Janine - I appreciate the opportunity to learn about the lives of American's who gave all for their country. We owe them everything!
Margaret - Thank you for all the hard work you've put into this project. I know you have a small team and are determined to do your best.
Collin - Your site is providing educational benefits. Kids especially really need to know of the supreme gifts of their freedom.
Laura - I'm proud of their military service and the ultimate contribution for my freedom. It does help me get through tough times.