Alfred Beecher Abeles (SN O773507) was born on the 12th of June 1923 in New York City, the eldest son of Margaret W. Beecher and Alfred Tannsig Abeles. He had one younger brother, John Henry Abeles. He went by his middle name "Beecher".

Together with his parents and brother, the family moved to Fontana, San Bernardino, California, where his parents had an orchard and a restaurant. During the first three years of high school he attended Chaffey Union High School in Ontario, California. In 1941 the family moved again, this time to Wilmette, Cook County, Illinois. For his senior year Alfred Beecher attended New Trier High School where he was a member of the Career Club and Lens Club. After graduation he attended Northwestern University in Evanston IL for two years where he studied chemical engineering. He was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

In 1943 he volunteered for the United States Army Air Force, training as a fighter pilot, and earned his Pilot Wings in April 1944 at Williams Field, Chandler, Arizona. On the 29th of May 1944 he married Shirley A. Elling at the Wilmette Congregational church. The reception was held at the Women's Club of Wilmette.

2nd Lieutenant Alfred Beecher Abeles left for overseas at the end of October 1944 to England, later to France and then Belgium. He was a pilot of a Lockheed P-38J "Lightning" of the 430th Fighter Squadron, 474th Fighter Group, Ninth Tactical Air Command. In a letter to his wife he had had eleven missions to his credit.

On the 23rd of January, 1945 he was part of a strafing group attacking ground targets from low flying aircraft using aircraft mounted automatic weapons. He was piloting his Lockheed P-38J Lightning serial number 43-28726. According to the witness, 2nd Lieutenant Kennard K. Jones, also of the 430th Fighter Squadron, they were on an Armed Reconnaissance mission to the city of Bonn in Germany. At approximately 1130 hours on the third pass an engine of 2nd Lieutenant Abeles' aircraft was hit by enemy flak. The damaged aircraft hit the trees and exploded, burning as it went down through the woods near the German town of Euskirchen. Jones estimated the crash location at map reference F-536253, SE of Euskirchen. A Casualty Clearance plan states another map reference of F-546753. His remains were never found.

2nd Lieutenant Abeles was listed as missing in action until October 1945, when his status was changed to killed in action. Even though his exact fate was unknown, it was believed that he was killed when the aircraft crashed and exploded.

Alfred Beecher Abeles was survived by his wife, Shirley Elling Abeles, his daughter Susan Gail Abeles, his parents Alfred T. Abeles and Margaret W. Beecher Abeles and his brother John Henry Abeles.

A memorial services was held on the 4th of November 1945 at the Congregational Church of Wilmette. In 1961 a memorial marker was placed at the Arlington National Cemetery in his memory. Alfred B. Abeles is also listed at the Tablets of the Missing at the Henri-Chapelle American War Cemetery in Belgium, an American Battle Monuments Commission location.

2nd Lieutenant Abeles is also remembered at the New Trier high school on a bronze plaque which was placed in honor of those students who gave their lives in the service of their country.

His awards include the Purple Heart Medal and Air Medal with one Oakleaf Cluster, both were awarded posthumously.

The letters of 2nd Lieutenant Abeles to his parents about the tragic lives of people who were displaced by the war inspired his mother to work with homeless refugees. As head of a committee at the Congregational Church of Wilmette, she worked with over 500 people, arranging homes and jobs for them. Many of them lived temporarily with the Abeles family.

The June 1956 edition of the magazine LOOK applauded her work for "Persons in the Midwest" and two years later she was honored for her work on the "This is Your Life" television show. Her guests included her husband, son, brother and former daughter-in-law.

The memorial stone at Arlington National Cemetery is inscribed "In Memory of Alfred Beecher Abeles, Illinois, 2D Lieutenant IX TAC Air Command AFF, World War II June 12, 1923 to January 23, 1945. AM-PM"

2LT Alfred Beecher Abeles thank you for your dedication, your service and your sacrifice for our country. You are not forgotten.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see

www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact me at srd225@yahoo.com or feedback@storiesbehindthestars.org

SBTSProject/Illinois/Cook

Alfred B Abeles