George Ernest Forslund was born on May 24, 1923, in Coos Bay, Coos County, Oregon. He was the son of Ernest Alexander Forslund and Lena Fredrika Matson Forslund. He served with the 338th Bombardment Squadron, 96th Bombardment Group, Heavy, as a Flight Officer and Co-Pilot 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.

FO Forslund was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial, Saint-James, Département de la Manche, Basse-Normandie, France.

Sources of information: www.findagrave.com, www.rumboogiecrew.com, francecrashes39-45.net, weremember.abmc.gov