Second Lieutenant Leonard Lavern Koebel died on 3rd October 1942 when B-17 bomber #41-24451 crashed on Slieveanorra Mountain, Co. Antrim killing 8 of the crew.
Second Lieutenant
O-726911
2nd Lieutenant Leonard Lavern Koebel (O-726911) served in 401st Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group (The Ragged Irregulars), 8th United States Army Air Force during the Second World War. Born on 14th July 1917, he was the son of Charles Oswald Koebel and Olivia Barbara Koebel of Arizona, U.S.A.
Koebel died on 3rd October 1942 while serving as a bombardier on B-17 #41-24451. The plane crashed in bad weather on Mount Slieveanorra, Co. Antrim en route from Gander Bay, Newfoundland to the United Kingdom killing 8 of the 10 crew and passengers. Some reports suggest the plane was bound for Prestwick, Scotland while others state the destination as R.A.F. Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire, England.
Burial first took place on 7th October 1942 at Glenalina Extension, ES, 232 of Belfast City Cemetery. A reburial later took place at Lisnabreeny American Military Cemetery, Belfast. After the war, Koebel was repatriated to Greenwood Memorial Park, San Diego, San Diego County, California, U.S.A.