Wesley William Bangs was born on October 5, 1924, in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana. He was the son of Inez Bangs. He served in the 414th Bomber Squadron, 97th Bomber Group, as a Sergeant and Tail Gunner of B-17G #44-8004 during World War II.

On October 14, 1944, B-17G 44-8004 departed Amendola, Italy, on a Fifteenth Air Force mission against the Blechhammer synthetic oil complex. The aircraft was badly damaged by flak over the target, losing two engines and leaking fuel. Falling behind formation, the crew radioed their distress while attempting to return westward. With fuel nearly exhausted, they diverted toward the Zlín region. An attempted landing near Otrokovice was aborted after airfield flak opened fire, forcing the pilots to continue. At about 13:15, they executed a wheels-down emergency landing in a field known as “Amerika” near Prusinky/Napajedla. Most of the crew survived the landing with minor injuries, though the tail gunner was seriously wounded.

Shortly afterward, P-51 Mustangs mistook the disabled bomber for an enemy aircraft and strafed it, setting it ablaze as the crew evacuated. The airmen escaped into nearby woods and split into two groups, but German forces soon surrounded the area. During the capture of one group, two crewmen were shot and killed; the remaining eight were taken prisoner.

Sgt Bangs was taken into captivity and held as a POW at Stalag Luft IV, Pomerania, Prussia. He died on April 27, 1992, and is now buried in the Forest Lawn Cemetery, Slidell, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, https://ic.napajedla.cz/