Just below the mountain peak.

The memorial is a plaque attached to a large stone just above ground level.

On July 12,1944, B-17 “My Buddy (42-31552) was part of Mission # 87 for the 748th Bomber Squadron, 457th Bomber Group (Heavy), 8^th US Air Force flying out of USAAF Station 130, Glatton, UK to bomb Munich, Germany. The 457^th  BG lost 3 planes and 5 were damaged on this difficult mission. 

During the mission, “My Buddy” was hit by flak and lost two engines.  The Pilot, 2LT Kerr decided to try to make it to Switzerland.  Thinking the plane was over Switzerland, Kerr gave the order to bail out.  Four Crewmembers bailed out, but the plane was still over Germany and they were captured and spent the rest of the was in a POW Camp (Stalag Luff 4 Gross-Tychow). The Officers and Flight Engineer stayed with the plane as it flew into Switzerland. As the plane became increasingly difficult to control, Co-Pilot Lindskoog and Flight Engineer Finneran bailed out.  Pilot Kerr, Navigator Schilling and Bombardier Levine were killed when the plane crashed into the side of Mount Chessler above the Schlappintal Valley.  Co-Pilot Lindskoog was killed when his parachute didn’t open and T/SGT Finneran was captured and interned in Switzerland in Camp Adelboden (Missing Aircraft Report {MACR} 6926). 

The crew of “My Buddy” included:

Pilot: Gerald L. Kerr, 2nd Lt, KIA 

Copilot: Arthur H. Lindskoog, 2nd Lt, KIA

Navigator: Edward A. Schilling, 2nd Lt, KIA

Bombardier: Melvin L. Levine, 2nd Lt, KIA

Engineer: Leon Finneran, T / Sgt, interned in Switzerland

Radio: Ernest J. Hegedus, T / Sgt, German POW

Right waist: Donald B. Boyle, S / Sgt, German POW

Left waist: Harold E. Ahlfors, S / Sgt, German POW

Tail Gunner: Samuel P. Younger, Jr., S / Sgt, German POW

Special thanks for the B-17 Museum in Utzenstorf, Switzerland for the photos of this memorial and for information concerning this site. 

For more on the B-17 Museum Utzenstorf, see the museum website at: https://www.b17museum.ch

The text on the plaque is in English and reads:

TO THE MEMORY OF THE FOUR

GALLANT AIRMEN OF THE 8^TH AF;

2^ND LT GERALD L. KERR, PILOT

2^ND LT ARTHUR H. LINDSKOOG, CO-PILOT

2^ND LT EDWARD A. SCHILLING, NAVIGATOR

2^nd LT MELVIN L. LEVINE, BOMBARDIER

WHO LOST THEIR LIVES WHEN THEIR B-17G

RETURNING FROM A RAID ON MUNICH

CRASHED NEAR THIS HAMLET

-AMERICAN AND SWISS FLAGS-

CHESSLER IM HINTERSTEN SCHLAPPINTAL