First Lieutenant CHARLES ROBERT HUTCHENS O-735381
First Lieutenant CHARLES ROBERT HUTCHENS O-735381 KIA, US Army Air Forces. Husband of Mrs. Dorothy Lambeth Hutchens, 520 Gladstone Street, Shreveport Louisiana, father of Robert Walter and William Lambeth Hutchens, and the son of Mrs. Mary Margaret Hutchens of, 856 Gladstone Street, Shreveport. He was born March 12, 1919. A graduate of Barrett Grammar School and Byrd High School, he was a switchman with Southern Bell Telephone Company prior to entering the Army Air Forces at Barksdale Field on April 25, 1942, at the age of 23. He served at Santa Ana Army Air Base, California, Thunderbird Field Number Two at Phoenix, Arizona, Marana Army Air Field, Arizona, Roswell Army Air Base, New Mexico, Davis Monthan Field, Tucson, Arizona, Clovis Army Air Base, New Mexico, Alamagordo Army Air Base, New Mexico, Biggs Field at El Paso, Texas, and Lincoln Army Air Base, Nebraska. He went to the European Theater of Operations (ETO) July 17, 1943, and served in England with the 328th Bomber Squadron, 93rd Bomber, Eighth U. S. Air Force as pilot of B-24 aircraft Shoot Luke 41-23729. He also served in North Africa and Italy and was in combat in the aerial fighting of the North African Campaign and the Italian Campaign. Lieutenant Hutchens was reported missing in action against the enemy on October 18, 1943, over the North Sea at the age of 24. He was declared dead on October 19, 1944.
The Crew Shoot Luke 41-23729 was made up of
SSgt Clifford A. Blais 31179330
2Lt Gregory Bournazos O-736752
TSgt Idus F. Coleman 34243641
SSgt Robert H Fisher 12141953
SSgt Reuben L. Gareau 6798108
SSgt Robert J Graff 12075899
2Lt Roger W Hayes O-737946
TSgt Henry H Howard, Jr 39019629
1Lt Charles R Hutchens O-735381
2Lt Harry J. Linville or Linvill O-801138
Source:
1- THE FIGHTING MEN OF LOUISIANA – LOUISIANA HISTORICAL INSTITUTE – 1946
2- http://www.americanbattlegraves.com/index.php?page=directory&rec=76193