Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Sergeant Edward S. Kovaleski, killed during World War II, was accounted for June 4, 2024.
In spring 1945, Kovaleski was assigned to the 760th Bombardment Squadron, 460th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 15th Air Force in the European and Mediterranean Theater of World War II. On April 26, Kovaleski, an engineer and ball turret gunner on board the B-24J Liberator Seldom Available, was killed when his plane crashed near Hüttenberg, Austria, while enroute to their target bombing location in northern Italy. Witnesses from other planes and surviving crewmembers reported the Seldom Available experienced mechanical failure, forcing a spiraling descent and eventual crash. Prior to the explosion, the pilot gave the order to evacuate the aircraft at roughly 25,000 feet. Eight crewmembers survived the incident, but Kovaleski was not accounted for. There was no witness of any deployed parachute following the crash, and it was believed he was still in the plane when it crashed. Kovaleski’s remains were not recovered, and he was subsequently declared missing in action.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil or find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or https://www.linkedin.com/company/defense-pow-mia-accounting-agency.