Lewis W. Priegel was born in 1915 in Illinois to Ignatius Priegel and his wife Mary (Gabriel) Priegel, both of whom were immigrants from Hungary. Lewis had at least one older brother and one older sister. His parents divorced some time before 1930, when Lewis and his mother were living with his older brother’s family in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois. I could not find Lewis in the 1940 census.

Lewis enlisted in the US Army Air Forces on 17 August 1942 at Chicago, Illinois. His enlistment record indicates that he was single, had completed one year of high school, and was working as a welder. After completing basic training, he attended aerial gunner training. He was assigned as a Staff Sergeant to one of the initial crews of the 349th Bomb Squadron of the 100th Bombardment Group (Heavy), Eighth Air Force, which flew B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers.

The 100th BG was activated 27 October 1942 at Gowen Field, Idaho then moved to Walla Walla Army Air Base, Washington. After receiving crews and aircraft, the group relocated again on 30 November 1942 to Wendover Field, Utah, where it added additional personnel, aircraft, and crews, and began operational training. On 1 January 1943, the aircraft and aircrews moved to Sioux City AAB, Iowa where they assisted in training of other groups bound for overseas. In mid-April 1943, the aircrews moved to Kearney Army Air Field, Nebraska and received brand new B-17s. After additional operational training, the group's aircrews departed Kearney on 25 May 1943, flying the North Atlantic route to England, where the group was based at Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk.

On 25 June 1943, the 100th BG flew its first combat mission, sending nineteen B-17s to bomb the U-boat yards in Bremen, Germany. In foreshadowing of dreadful things to come for the group, three aircraft and 30 men did not return from the mission. SSgt Priegel was the tail gunner of B-17F #42-30038 (known as "Barfly") that fateful day. On the way to the target, the unescorted formation of B-17s was not properly assembled, likely due to a combination of the inexperienced crews and poor weather, making it especially vulnerable to attack by enemy fighters. As the scattered formation approached the coast of Germany, SSgt Priegel’s aircraft was seen to fall out of formation and disappear into the undercast, likely the victim of an enemy fighter. Five of the ten crewmen aboard, including SSgt Priegel, were either killed by the enemy fighters or perished when the aircraft crashed into the North Sea, their bodies were never found. The remaining five crewmen were able to bail out and were rescued by a German patrol boat and became prisoners of war.

Lewis W. Priegel is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing in the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten, Netherlands.

Thank you SSgt Priegel for your service and your sacrifice, you will not be forgotten.

Crew of B-17F #42-30038 "Barfly"

Pilot, 1Lt Paul J. Schmalenbach (KIA)
Co-Pilot, F/O George W. Cox (POW, died in captivity)
Navigator, 1Lt John F. Brown (POW)
Bombardier, 2Lt Jack L. Clark (KIA)
Top Turret Gunner/Engineer, TSgt Eugene M. Beck (KIA)
Radio Operator/Gunner, TSgt Frank J. Podbielski (POW)
Ball Turret Gunner, SSgt Norman C. Goodwin (POW)
Waist Gunner, Pvt Anthony J. Russo (KIA)
Waist Gunner, SSgt William C. Lucas (POW)
Tail Gunner, SSgt Lewis W. Priegel (KIA)

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 here on Fold3. 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. SBTSProject/Illinois/Kane.

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

Sources:

1930 United States Federal Census
U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946
100th Bomb Group Foundation, https://www.100thbg.com/
Missing Air Crew Reports, #270

Lewis W Priegel