THE CLEARFIELD PROGRESS, Friday Evening, November 26, 1943, Front Page
2 COUNTY MEN ARE REPORTED KILLED, MISSING
Two more Clearfield County men have been reported as war casualties by the War Department. A Coalport sergeant has been killed in action, while a Burnside lieutenant is reported missing.
Mr. and Mrs. Levi Beers, of Coalport received word from the War Department that their son, Sergeant Richard Beers, 19 was killed in action on November 9, 1942 in France.
The family had received word from the War Department November 12, 1942, that their son was missing in action.
Sergeant Beers was a graduate of the Beccaria Township High School, Coalport. Besides his parents several brothers and sisters survive.
Per Find A Grave Contributor ShaneO (47009366)
Top turret gunner, assigned to 306th Bomber Group 423rd Bomb Squadron. The 306th Bomber Group (The Reich Wreckers) was stationed at Thurleigh, England. He was killed in action on 9 November 1942 on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St Nazaire, France, flying aboard
B-17F #41-24491 "Man O'War".
His plane was shot down by anti-aircraft fire 5 miles northwest of St. Nazaire, France and all crew members were killed. He is buried in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri. He shares a headstone with two of his crewmates,
Technical Sergeant Richard Beers and Technical Sergeant John Westcott. The information on the raid states that the crew was buried by the Germans in the cemetery of Escoublac-Cuy, France. None of them are listed there.
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The crew KIA were:
1LT Loyal M Felts, O-366259, WA, Pilot
TSGT Richard L Beers, 13030895, PA, Flight Engineer/Top Turret Gunner
SGT George P Bogumill, 19078528, CA, Tail Gunner
SSGT Charles E Vonderlieth, 32218597, NY, Ball Turret Gunner
TSGT John A Westcott, 12042436, VA, Radio Operator
SGT Elden I Wright, 18057205, KS, Waist Gunner
