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Edward Lewis Harris

Edward Lewis Harris

August 25, 2026

headshot photo of Edward Lewis Harris

Rank: 2nd Lieutenant
Branch: Army Air Corps
UT Major/Affiliation: UT Jr. College 1939-1941/Agriculture 1941-42
Hometown: Fayette County, TN

  • Dec. 4, 1920 – Jan. 29, 1944
  • Born in Fayette County, Tennessee
  • UT Jr. College 1939-1941/Agriculture 1941-42
    • Was a student when he enlisted
  • 2nd Lt., Army Air Corps
  • Deployed in 1943
  • B-17 Navigator, 620th Bomb Sqdn, 401st Bomb Grp. Shot down by fighters; KIA during a mission to Frankfurt, Germany.
    • Mission targeting Oschersleben, Germany
  • Memorialized at Bethlehem Cemetery in Fayette County, Tennessee
  • Memorialized at Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Lorraine, France

Edward Lewis Harris (Dec. 4, 1920 – Jan. 29, 1944) was born in Fayette County, Tennessee. He attended the University of Tennessee’s Junior College at Martin from 1939 to 1941 before transferring to the main campus at Knoxville for Agriculture in 1941. Harris was enrolled as a student when he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942 and served as a 2nd Lieutenant trained on B-17 Bombers as a navigator. He was deployed to Europe in 1943 and flew missions out of Northamptonshire, England, with the 620th Bomb Squadron of the 401st Bomb Group. He was killed in action during a raid on Oschersleben, Germany, on January 29, 1944, when his plane was shot down by German fighter planes outside of Frankfurt, Germany. He is memorialized at the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Lorraine, France, and at the Bethlehem Cemetery in Fayette County, Tennessee.

Back to Veterans Memorial Page

Close up of Harris in flight uniform.
Harris with crew.
Harris newspaper clipping
Harris headstone in France
Harris headstone
Harris registration record.
Harris headstone record

Tennesseans and War

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Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
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