At a corner of a field along a small farm road intersection.

The monument is a large stone cut in two nearly symmetric pieces that are kept together by two overlapping bronze plaques. The entire monument is seemingly in the shape of the tail section of an aircraft.

On the morning of October 14th 1943 along with 15 others bombers from the 364^th Bomber Squadron, 305th Bomb Group “Can Do”, B-17 “Lazy Baby” (42- 308410) set off from Chelveston in England, the second Schweinfurt raid (Mission 115), later to become known as “Black Thursday”. By the time they reached Aachen on the outward leg only “Lazy Baby” and two others of the 305th were left flying, They were then seriously damaged and three crew severely injured while two others bailed out. Diving from 23,000 ft to only 3,000 ft, pilot Ed Dienhart managed to escape the attacking fighters. With the ball turret gunner trapped and navigator seriously injured they proceeded at 30 to 50 feet, hedge-hopping all the way, to Switzerland and safety. Guided by the navigator Don Rowley who, despite having both arms virtually severed, managed to steer them from memory for over an hour to Switzerland where they made a dramatic crash landing only seven miles from the German border. The navigator (Rowley) died the following day from his injuries. While the pilot drew upon every ounce of his flying skills, the rest of the crew exhibited untold valor in the face of terrible adversity and selfless devotion to their stricken comrades. (From Military Print Company -UK Website and Missing Aircraft Report {MACR} 913)

B-17 “Lazy Baby” was the tenth “Flying Fortress” that sought refuge in Switzerland up to that point in time. Rowley died a day later from his terrible wounds in a hospital in Basel. Johnson and Smith survived and were interned in Adelboden with the rest of the crew of the Lazy Baby after recovery.  Christy Zullo met his future wife while working at the Munsingen Cemetery, and regularly visits Switzerland. All surviving crew members of the "Lazy Baby" returned safely to America after the end of the war to include the two who bailed out and were POWs in Germany.

The Crew of Lazy Baby:

Pilot: Edward W. Dienhart, 1st Lt  (Interned in Switzerland)

Copilot: Brunson W. Bolin, 2nd Lt, (Bailed out; POW, Stalag Luft 3)

Navigator: Donald T. Rowley, 2nd Lt, (died  upon landing)

Bombardier: Carl A. Johnson, 2nd Lt (Interned in Switzerland)

Engineer: George H. Blalock, Jr., T/Sgt, (Bailed out; POW in Germany) 

Radio: Hurley D. Smith, T/Sgt  (Interned in Switzerland)

Ball Turret: Raymond C. Baus, S/Sgt  (Interned in Switzerland)

Right Waist: Christy Zullo, S/Sgt  (Interned in Switzerland)

Left Waist: Robert Cinibulk, S/Sgt  (Interned in Switzerland)

Tail Gunner: Bernard Segal, S/Sgt  (Interned in Switzerland)

Special thanks to the B-17 Museum in Utzenstrorf, Switzerland for the photos of this memorial and for information concerning this monument.  For more on the B-17 Museum Utzenstorf, see the museum website at https://www.b17museum.ch

The text on the plaque is written in German:

ZUR  Errinerung

Notlandung einer fliegenden Festung

(B-17F der 8. US Army Air Force)

auf dem Schattfeld am 

14. Oktober 1943

Besatzung:

E. Dienhart, D. Rowley, C. Johnson

H. Smith, R. Baus, R. Cinibulk

C. Zullo, B. Segal"

The lower plaque:

"Lt. Donald T. Rowley

geb. 26. Juni 1921

starb am 15. Oktober 1943 in

Basel an seinen Verletzungen

“He died,

so we may live in liberty." (In English)

Translation:

In Memory

"Crash landing of a flying fortress

(B-17F of the 8th US Army Air Force)

on Schattfeld on October 14 1943

Crew:

E. Dienhart, D. Rowley, C. Johnson

H. Smith, R. Baus, R. Cinibulk

C. Zullo, B. Segal"

The lower plaque:

"Lt. Donald T. Rowley

born June 26 1921

died on October 15 1943 in

Basel from his injuries.

“He died,

so we may live in liberty."