Staff Sergeant Carl Walter Eickhorst gave his life in service to his country during World War II while serving as a gunner with the 492nd Army Air Force Bomb Squadron, 7th Bomb Group, assigned to the 10th Air Force. Born on November 17, 1914, Eickhorst was the great-great-grandson of Pierce Downer, the founder of Downers Grove.
During the war, SSgt. Eickhorst served aboard a B-24J Liberator bomber, aircraft number 44-40811. On November 21, 1944, he and his fellow crew members departed Madhaiganj, India, as part of a twelve-plane formation on a dangerous combat mission to destroy the Grant Luang Bridge in Burma, a strategic target used by enemy forces.
After successfully bombing the target from an altitude of approximately 300 feet, Eickhorst’s aircraft was struck by intense anti-aircraft fire. The left wing caught fire, and the heavily damaged bomber began losing altitude before drifting to the left and crashing approximately 25 miles southwest of Bhre, Thailand. All aboard the aircraft were killed. Eickhorst was 30 years old.
Carl’s wife received a letter from the War Department informing her that her husband was missing in action following the November 21, 1944 mission. After a year with no further information and no recovery of survivors, Staff Sergeant Eickhorst was officially presumed dead.
As a descendant of Downers Grove founder Pierce Downer, Eickhorst’s story is forever intertwined with the history of the community his family helped establish. His service and sacrifice remain a lasting part of Downers Grove’s World War II legacy. His name is engraved on the plaque at Memorial Park in Downers Grove honoring local servicemen who never returned home.
