Anthony Piekarz was a navigator on a B-17 Flying Fortress.  On 23 December 1944, his bomber was sent on a mission to bomb a German air base at Giessen in Germany.  The crew succeeded in their mission, but was hit by anti-aircraft flak near the target.  On the return to England, the bomber lost altitude, and apparently caught fire.  The pilot, Lt. Joseph McConnell, gave the order to bail out over Belgium.  Lt. Pierkarz’s parachute caught on fire during the evacuation, and he fell to his death.

Information provided by Rudy Dosogne