Bloesch, Frederick Ernest Jr.
First Name
Frederick
Middle Name
Ernest
Last Name
Bloesch
Suffix Name
Jr.
Serial Number
AO-797250
Service Branch
Air Force
Highest Rank
CPT
War or Action
Korean War
Date Of Birth
06/16/1917
Place Of Birth
Denver, Colorado
Colorado Home Town
Denver
County
Denver
Biography

Captain Fred Bloesch was born and raised in Denver.  He joined the Army Air Corp and served in WWII. As part of a B-17 crew, he was assigned to the 8th Air Force 384/544th Bomb Squadron as a navigator and was stationed in Grafton, England. His plane, 'Flak Dancer" was shot down August 17, 1943. He spent the balance of the war in a POW camp.  He was discharged and returned to Denver and started a family.  There was some time that the family also resided in San Diego.

 

Captain Bloesch was recalled to service for the Korean Conflict and joined the Air Force.  He was a crew member (navigator) of a B-29A Superfortress Bomber with the 371st Bomber Squadron, 307th Bomber Wing based at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. On September 13, 1952, while making a bomb run on the Suiho Hydroelectric Plant, his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire near Chumma along the North Korean/Chinese border. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on February 28, 1954. His remains have not been recovered due to political tensions.

 

Captain Bloesch was awarded the Air Medal with 2 Oak Clusters, the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.

 

His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington.  He was survived by his wife and son.

 

 

 

Date Of Death
09/13/1953
Place Of Burial
Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial
Place Of Death
North Korea
Circumstances
Killed in Action
Column Number
1
Panel Number
Not Yet Inscribed

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