Staff Sergeant Russell S. Warrington was born 25 Mar 1909 in Medicine Lodge, Barber County, Kansas to Myron “Mabe” (1874-1944) and Lue nee Hittle (1875-1962) Warrington. Mabe was a carpenter, proprietor of a store and assistant at the Cream Station that his youngest managed. Russell was one of seven children: Bessie, Shirley, Gladys, Harry, Louie and Lonnie.

Some records say Russell was born in 1916, but census records do not bare that out. Plus his youngest brother Lonnie was born in 1916. Russell is listed on 14 April 1940 still living with his family in Medicine Lodge, where he is listed as 31 and Lonnie as 24.

It is unclear when Russell went into Army active duty, but it was after Apr 1940. He was a member of the 645th Bombardment Squadron, 410th Bomber Group, Light.

Wikipedia article:

“The [645th Bombardment] Squadron was activated at Will Rogers Field on 1 July 1943 as one of the four original squadrons of the 410th Bombardment Group and equipped and trained with Douglas A-20 Havoc light bombers. It completed training and left the United States for the European Theater of Operations in March 1944. It flew air support and air interdiction missions with Douglas A-20 Havoc bombers, first from England, then from Advanced Landing Grounds on the European continent.

“The squadron arrived at its first overseas station, RAF Birch in April 1944, but soon moved to RAF Gosfield. The squadron flew its first combat mission the following month. It helped to prepare for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, by assaulting coastal defenses, airfields, and V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket sites in France, and marshalling yards in France and Belgium. It supported the landings in June by bombing artillery positions and railway choke points.”

Wikipedia article:

“Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy Landings (D-Day). A 1,200-plane airborne assault preceded an amphibious assault involving more than 5,000 vessels. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on 6 June. Training exercises for the Overlord landings took place as early as July 1943. As the nearby beach resembled the planned Normandy landing-site, the town of Slapton in Devon, was evacuated in December 1943, and taken over by the armed forces as a site for training exercises that included the use of landing craft and the management of beach obstacles.”

American Air Museum:

“Assigned to 645BS, 410BG, 9AF USAAF. On 7 June 1944 aircraft A-20 Havoc 43-10205 was assigned a target at LaHaye, France. On return the pilot John Metz called that the aircraft was on one engine and he was leaving the formation over the English channel 25 miles north of the French coast. The left engine caught fire which spread to the inboard gas tanks. At 2110 hrs at about 1,00 feet the left wing came off and the aircraft crashed into the channel about 25 miles south of Brighton, Sussex, after two men had bailed out. Despite Air Sea Rescue search no sign of the crew was found. All were killed in action.”

SGT Warrington was killed in action on 7 June 1944, at age 35, over the English Channel, not far from Brighton, England. He is listed on the Tablets of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, Coton, South Cambridgeshire, England. He was unmarried and no known children.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ US WWII fallen on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Together We Served and Fold3/Find a Grave have smartphone apps that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery and read these stories of the WWII fallen. SBTSProject/Kansas/Barber

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please email feedback@storiesbehindthestars.org.

Sources:

Find a Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56295352/russell-s-warrington

Veterans interred overseas: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/151318:4283?tid=&pid=&queryId=942523374c3ef180427edeecb11bb8b3&_phsrc=evO4&_phstart=successSource

Unaccounted for remains: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/42904:62207?tid=&pid=&queryId=67a16a4762a5df94f8cfa07bf3a17d1b&_phsrc=evO5&_phstart=successSource

Internment records for veterans on foreign soil: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/30104656:9170?tid=&pid=&queryId=67a16a4762a5df94f8cfa07bf3a17d1b&_phsrc=evO6&_phstart=successSource

USAAF data: http://usaafdata.com/?q=node/150457

Aviation-Safety: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19440606-7

1920 census: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/64880303:6061?tid=&pid=&queryId=723aefb758804e4edccbaf7a03dd0507&_phsrc=evO14&_phstart=successSource

1930 census: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/32379485:6224?tid=&pid=&queryId=723aefb758804e4edccbaf7a03dd0507&_phsrc=evO15&_phstart=successSource

1940 census: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/64658580:2442?tid=&pid=&queryId=723aefb758804e4edccbaf7a03dd0507&_phsrc=evO16&_phstart=successSource

American Air Museum: https://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/11135

Russell S Warrington