B-24 “Battlin Baby” (42-94989) Crash Memorial Plaque
Details:
Hanging on a private fence adjacent to the actual crash site.
The memorial is a plaque about 18’x18” mounted to the side of a private wooden fence.
On July 13 1944, B-24 “Battlin Baby” (42-94989) assigned to the 713th Bomber Squadron, 448th Bomber Group, 8thAir force took off from Seething (Station 146) in the UK for a bombing missing of the railway yards in Saarbrucken, Germany. During the mission, “Battlin Baby” was hit and lost # 3 and #4 engines. The Pilot headed to Switzerland and over Switzerland in a perilous situation, the crew bailed out and the plane exploded over the village of Bätterkinden, Switzeland. The crew survived and were interned initially in the Adelboden Internment (Camp Moloney) Camp. Officers were later transferred to the Davos Internment Camp. Several of the officerslater escaped the Davos Internment Camp and returned to duty. Reference: Missing Aircraft Report {MACR} 7561.
The crew of “Battlin Baby” included:
Pilot: 2LT. Dale E. Grubb (Escaped)
Copilot: 2LT Edwin W. Carnahan (Escaped)
Navigator: 2LT Bernard Epstein (Escaped)
Bombardier: 2LT Norman G. Marks
Nose Gunner: SGT Eusebio Rodrigues Jr.
Flight Engineer: SSGT John E. Everett
Radio Operator: SSGT Frank S. Thomas
Ball Turret Gunner: SGT John R. Etherington
Right Waist Gunner: SGT John O. Barnes
Left Waist Gunner: SGT Clare W. Hubbard
Special thanks for the B-17 Museum in Utzenstrorf, Switzerland for the photos of this memorial and for information concerning this crash. For more on the B-17 Museum Utzenstorf, see the museum website at https://www.b17museum.ch
Monument Text:
The text is written in German and reads:
Das Flugzeug B-24 < Liberator > mit dem nose-art Namen < Battlin Baby > startete am frühen morgen des 13. Juli 1944 im Englischen seething mit dem Einsatzziel Saarbrücken (Deutschland). Nach intensiven Luftkampf und zahlreichen fleck-treffen fielen die Motoren drei und vier aus. Worauf das Flugzeug, mit noch zwei laufenden Motoren, in die neutral Schweiz einflog. Die Beschädigungen waren so stark, dass sich die Besatzung entschloss, das Flugzeug mit dem Fallschirmen auf dem Gemeindegebit Biberist / Gerlafingen / Altisbergwald zu verlassen. Das leere Flugzeug flog mit dem Autopiloten weiter Richtung Kräiligen / Bätterkinden wo es in einer höhe von ca. 200 M / Um in der Luft explodierte und die Trümmern zu Boden feilen.
Pilot: 2LT. Dale E. Grubb
Copilot: 2LT Edwin W. Carnahan
Navigator: 2LT Bernard Epstein
Bombenschütze: 2LT Norman G. Marks
Frontschütze: SGT Eusebio Rodrigues Jr.
Bordingenieur: SSGT John E. Everett
Funker: SSGT Frank S. Thomas
Kugelturmschütze: SGT John R. Etherington
Richter Seitenschütze: SGT John O. Barnes
Linker Seitenschütze: SGT Clare W. Hubbard
The transaltion in English:
The airplane B-24 “Liberator” with the nickname (nose-art name) “Battlin Baby” started early in the morning of 13 July 1944 in England with the target of Saarbrücken, Germany. After intense air battles and many hits, engines 3 and 4 failed. With two engines still running, they flew into neutral Switzerland. The damage was so serious that it would have been the end for them, they parachuted out of the plane over the municipality of Biberist/Gerlafingen/Altisbergwald. The empty airplane flew on autopilot in the direction of Kräiligen/Bätterkinden where at about 200m high, it exploded and the remains fell to the ground.
Pilot: 2LT. Dale E. Grubb
Copilot: 2LT Edwin W. Carnahan
Navigator: 2LT Bernard Epstein
Bombardier: 2LT Norman G. Marks
Nose Gunner: SGT Eusebio Rodrigues Jr.
Flight Engineer: SSGT John E. Everett
Radio Operator: SSGT Frank S. Thomas
Ball Turret Gunner: SGT John R. Etherington
Right Waist Gunner: SGT John O. Barnes
Left Waist Gunner: SGT Clare W. Hubbard
Commemorates:
People:
Units:
448th Bomber Group (Heavy)
713th Bomber Squadron, 448th Bomber Group (H)
8th Air Force
Swiss Internees (POWs)
Wars:
WWII
Other images :
