Howard Truman Hanson
First Lieutenant
Howard Truman Hanson
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Date of Birth
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Date of Death
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More About First Lieutenant Hanson
First Lieutenant Howard Truman Hanson of Stoughton, Wisconsin, served as a pilot with the 716th Bomber Squadron, 449th Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. While a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho.
On Feb. 28, 1945, First Lieutenant Hanson piloted B-24J Liberator #42-51642 on a bombing mission targeting the Isarc-Albes railroad bridge in northern Italy. After successfully completing the mission, the aircraft sustained heavy anti-aircraft fire that disabled two engines before crashing near Lake Wiezen, Austria. He was declared Missing in Action.
First Lieutenant Hanson was awarded the Air Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart. In 2015, the wreckage of his aircraft was discovered with the remains of three crew members believed to still be aboard.
Hanson was the husband of Esther A. Hanson of Stoughton, Wisconsin. He is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery in Florence, Italy.