Herman Lawrence Marshall was born on September 10, 1918, in Reading, Massachusetts. He served with the 338th Bombardment Squadron, 96th Bombardment Group, Heavy, as a Technical Sergeant and Flight Engineer/ Top Turret Gunner of B-17F #42-29767, nicknamed "Boot Hill," during World War II.

On May 17, 1943, the "Boot Hill" was shot down over Brittany, France, during a bombing mission against German military installations at Lorient. Piloted by 1Lt Louis Lafayette Haltom, the aircraft was among 20 bombers dispatched by the group that morning, departing England at approximately 8:30 a.m. Before reaching the French coast, the bomber encountered mechanical difficulties when the supercharger on its No. 3 engine failed. Despite the malfunction, Haltom continued the mission. During the bombing run, the aircraft was struck by German anti-aircraft fire, damaging its engines and right horizontal stabilizer. Although the crew managed to complete the bombing run, the damaged Flying Fortress began losing speed and altitude, gradually falling behind the main formation. While attempting to return to England, the isolated bomber came under attack from German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters, which inflicted further damage and wounded several crew members. With two engines severely damaged and the aircraft unable to maintain altitude, Haltom realized that reaching the English Channel was no longer possible and ordered his crew to bail out. The surviving airmen parachuted into the countryside of occupied Brittany before the crippled bomber crashed near Kéramprès, approximately four kilometers southeast of Plonévez-du-Faou in the Finistère department of France, at around 12:30 p.m. Of the eleven crew members aboard, two were killed, German forces captured three, and six successfully evaded capture with assistance from local French civilians and Resistance networks.

As German fighters attacked the crippled bomber, Marshall continued defending the aircraft and joined radio operator T/Sgt Glen Wells in firing upon an enemy fighter, which was subsequently observed trailing smoke. When the order to abandon the aircraft was given, Marshall successfully parachuted into occupied France and evaded immediate capture. He received assistance from local French civilians who provided shelter and protection. Later that day, Wells was brought to the farmhouse where Marshall was hiding, allowing the two airmen to reunite. After dark, they were escorted to a wooded area, where they joined pilot 1Lt Louis Haltom and Sgts Roy Martin and Niles Loudenslager. Marshall later traveled with Wells, Roy Martin, and William Martin to Saint-Quay, where Countess Betty de Mauduit concealed them at her château. By mid-July, the six surviving evaders had reunited and continued their escape through occupied France with assistance from French civilians and Resistance members, including Vladimir Bouryschkine. Marshall eventually traveled toward Paris, where he later reunited with Wells for the journey across the Pyrenees into Spain and onward to Gibraltar, ultimately returning to Allied control.

Currently, we don't have details about his post-war life, death, or burial location.

Sources of information: www.rumboogiecrew.com, francecrashes39-45.net,rcmcollection.com