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Contact Info
Home Town Pender, Nebraska
Last Address Lovettsville, Virginia
Date of Passing Feb 12, 1988
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
He flew a total of 91 combat missions in Europe in WWII, the most of any bomber pilot in the 8th Air Force.
His DSC citation: Awarded for actions during World War II
(Citation Needed) - SYNOPSIS: Lieutenant Colonel (Air Corps) Immanuel Klette, United States Army Air Forces, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a B-17 Heavy Bomber in the 324th Bombardment Squadron, 91st Bombardment Group (H), EIGHTH Air Force, while participating in a bombing mission on 21 November 1944, against enemy ground targets in the European Theater of Operations. On this date, Lieutenant Colonel Klette led the entire Eighth Air Force, a force of 1,291 bombers and 954 fighters, on a raid on oil refineries at Merseburg-Leuna, the most heavily defended target in Germany. In rapidly deteriorating weather, he made an on-the-spot decision to take the bombers down from 27,000 feet to visual bombing weather at 17,000, resulting in the war's most destructive strike on the refineries. The personal courage and zealous devotion to duty displayed by Lieutenant Colonel Klette on this occasion have upheld the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 8th Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces.
WWII - European Theater of Operations/Central Europe Campaign (1945)
From Month/Year
March / 1945
To Month/Year
May / 1945
Description On March 22, 1945, the U.S. Third Army established a second salient, in addition to the one at Remagen, across the Rhine River at Oppenheim, 288 miles southwest of Berlin. The next day its troops also crossed the river at Boppard, 40 miles northwest of Oppenheim. Farther north, British and Canadian forces went across near Wesel, 65 miles northwest of Bonn. Ninth Air Force and Royal Air Force troop carriers and gliders dropped an American and a British airborne division north of Wesel on March 24, while the U.S. Ninth Army crossed the river 10 miles southeast of Wesel. The next day the U.S. First Army began an advance into Germany from Remagen, just south of Bonn, and on March 26 the Seventh Army crossed the Rhine River north of Mannheim, about 25 miles south of Oppenheim. Five days later, on March 31, French troops crossed the Rhine 10 miles south of Mannheim.
Before the Allied armies began crossing the Rhine in force, Allied air forces bombed and strafed German positions in the contested areas along the river. Heavy bombers also flew battlefield interdiction missions between March 21 and 24, before returning to strategic bombardment missions against targets in Germany. Although little of strategic value remained because of the destruction wrought by the
combined bomber offensive, oil refineries and fuel depots remained primary targets.
The Luftwaffe could no longer effectively oppose the heavy bombers nor could it provide close air support for retreating German troops.
When fuel was available, the enemy continued to intercept Allied bomber formations with a few fighter aircraft. On the battle front, AAF fighter-bombers flew close air support and tactical reconnaissance missions for Allied forces, while medium bombers attacked bridges, trucks, troop concentrations, railroads, and airfields. Troop carrier and transport aircraft flew critically needed supplies to forward airfields that had been rebuilt by aviation engineers behind the advancing Allied armies. After delivering supplies, the pilots loaded wounded soldiers and liberated prisoners of war and returned them to the rear areas. The last mission of the AAF's heavy bombers in Europe involved flying supplies to the starving population in The Netherlands.
