On the north side of Balls Hill road.

A black square metal plaque, inscribed in English, atop of a brick plinth with another rectangular plaque on the plinth’s front side and is set on a small paved area. The plaque over the plinth contains the commemoration message while the plaque below on the front side bears the detailed story of the collision. The memorial commemorates the crewmen of two B-17 'Flying Fortress' bombers who died when their planes collided in mid-air over Hitcham in 1944 while forming up for a bombing raid on Germany. The aircrafts involved were the B-17 #43-38245 and B-17 #44-6460.

Source of images: Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register

Top plaque:

Mid-Air Tragedy - 2nd October 1944.

To honour and forever remember the seventeen American Airmen of the

USAAF 447th Bombardment Group (H), who lost their lives after a tragic accident

above this location. Two Boeing B-17G 'Flying Fortress' collided and fell from the

sky whilst assembling for another mission in the fight for freedom.

As you stand at this memorial, aircraft s/n 43-38245 (711th Bomb Squadron)

fell to earth here in the parish of Hitcham. Aircraft s/n 44-6460

(710th Bomb Squadron) crashed on remote farmland less than a mile to the

North West in the parish of Kettlebaston.

Bottom Plaque:

Mid-Air Tragedy - 2nd October 1944

On the 2nd October 1944 a mid-air collision occurred in the sky above this location which borders the parishes of Hitcham and Kettlebaston. Thirty-five Boeing B-17G 'Flying Fortress' heavy bombers of the USAAF 447th Bombardment Group had taken off from nearby Rattlesden Airfield (Station 126) and the mission for the day was to bomb the Henschel Armaments Works at Kassel in Germany. The group were finalising their assembly procedure at approximately 09.00, ascending into broken cloud at 14,000 feet, and toward the rising sun in the east when the incident suddenly unfolded. Aircraft s/n 43-38245 was under the command of Captain Clifford T Leach, an experienced Pilot who was voluntarily on his second tour of combat. 1st Lt William M Wilder was in command of aircraft s/n 44-6460 and both were in the lower part of the group making their final adjustments into formation. It is thought that a/c 245 had moved marginally too far forward, and was positioned slightly lower and ahead of a/c 460, therefore neither pilot had visual reference of each other. In an attempt to move a/c 245 back into formation, a standard manoeuvre of raising the nose was performed to slow the airspeed. This made the aircraft gain marginal height which caused both aircraft to collide. The tail section of a/c 245 broke off after a heavy impact to the underside of a/c 460 and making contact with the propellers. As a result of these extenuating circumstances, control of both bombers was inevitably lost.

The aircraft were fully laden with bombs and fuel and each had nine men on board. All were lost apart from the Navigator on a/c 460, 2nd Lt Elliot G Mishler, who amazingly escaped through a hole in the plexiglass nose caused by the initial collision. Apparently he grabbed his parachute, fell out of the aircraft with it in hand, and buckled to his back on the way down. He broke his ankle upon landing and was attended by two young brothers working on the land. When the live ordnance started to detonate in the field around them, despite his injury, he leapt to his feet and threw the boys in the ground, covering them with his own body until things calmed down. S/Sgt Carl S Reitzel Jr, Tail Gunner on a/c 245, had survived a previous crash at Thorpe Marieux and had returned to continue his tour after recovering from injury.

This memorial stands to forever remember these brave men, and as a reminder of all that sacrificed their tomorrow for our today.

'You have done your duty....to honour you is ours'