Oscar William Berssenbrugge

Oscar William Berssenbrugge enlisted into the US Navy Reserves on Feb. 6, 1941, in Chicago, Illinois. He received preliminary pilot's training at the Naval Reserve Aviation Base in Glenview, Illinois. Following this, he trained for 8 months at NAS Pensacola in Florida. Upon completing his training there, he received his wings and his commission as an ensign. Shortly thereafter, he was sent to Australia where he became a lieutenant (junior grade) flying PBY-5 Catalina's with Patrol Squadron 101. On Jan. 23, 1943, he was forced to crash land his Catalina in the ocean following a fire starting on the aircraft. He and the crew abandoned the aircraft, and it was abandoned due to damage. He was then assigned to a new Catalina, Build Number 04461. On March 28, 1943, Lieutenant Berssenbrugge and his crew took off out of Perth, Australia, for a routine patrol. Unfortunately, Berssenbrugge and his six crewmates never returned. His Catalina went missing and no remains were ever recovered. He is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in Manila, Philippines.