SGT. A. LUHMANN,

GUNNER KILLED;

HAD AIR MEDAL

Hackensack Man, bomber Crew, Dies Over Germany

IN 50 MISSIONS

Staff Sergeant Alfred H. Luhmann, 23-year old aerial engineer and top gunner of Hackensack was killed in the European area on April I, the War department has notified his mother, Mrs. Carol L. Luhmann of 595 Main Street . He had been awarded the Air Medal and Oak Leaf Cluster and his mother believes he took part in at least 50 missions. He was over German territory when he was killed.

Today's casualty list:

Killed in Action

Luhmann Staff Sergeant Alfred H.; son of Mrs. Carol L. Luhmann of 595 Main Street Hackensack; (European Area)

NOTE: These articles appeared in the Record newspaper on April 21, 1944, twenty days after his death on April 1, 1944. The article below appeared in a local paper like the Town News, a week after his death. These articles were obtained from
Alfred Bliss's scrap book of actual articles.

Alfred Bliss served in the Army in the
Pacific Theater during World War II and lived in New Milford his whole life. You can see how the recording of history gets confused by the fog of war. The paper wrote that his mother told them he flew 50 missions over Germany, but in 1947
Teresa Martin, who wrote the New Milford book on World War II veterans, reported he flew ten.

Either or somewhere in the middle, let us always remember the Airmens' sacrifice.

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NEW MILFORD GUNNER DIES IN BOMBING GERMANY

Staff Sergt. Alfred Luhmann is Reported
Killed in Action

Recently stepped-up bombing assaults on Germany took the life of a New Milford aerial gunner, according to a telegram from the War Department received last weekend by Mrs. Carol Luhmann, of 595 Main Street, Hackensack, advising her that her son Staff Sergeant Alfred H. Luhmann, age 24, stationed in England with the American Air Forces, had been killed in action
on April 1.

The telegram gave no further information, but advised that details would follow. He was an aerial gunner on a Flying Fortress.

At the time of being drafted in the early stages of America 's participation in the War, Staff Sergeant Luhmann and his mother lived with her parents Mr. and Mrs. Rausenberger, at 128 River Road , New Milford , and before that lived at the corner of River Road and Grand Avenue.

He was a member of St. Mathew's Lutheran Church , New Milford , and the church bell was tolled for him Monday morning. Only once before under similar circumstances this bell has been tolled, the first time being upon news of the death of the pastor's son Henri Neil Reichelt, who went down with the “Juneau” in the Southwest Pacific.

A news item appeared in the New Milford servicemen's column on Feb. 24 noted that Staff Sergeant Luhmann reported having met his uncle Charles L. Rausenberger of New Milford, somewhere in England.