B17 42-30821 'The Sweetest One' Plaque
Details:
The memorial is on the green lawn on the east side of Bottom Street. The plaque to the American crew is affixed on the west face of the memorial.
The Burton Dassett war memorial takes the form of a Latin Cross with flared ends, an octagonal column, a square plinth, and a two-stepped base. There are fifteen names for World War I and ten for World War II in the form of an additional rectangular brass plaque containing details of the American Bomber crew that crashed to the west of the village. The plaque is inscribed in English in raised lettering commemorating and listing the names of the crew.
On November 13, 1943, the crew was on a mission to Bremen. They were flying from RAF Poddington when ice caused the engines to fail as they climbed through the clouds. They went into a spin and broke up before they hit the ground, scattering debris, including unexploded bombs, over a quarter of a mile. The crash resulted in the death of all men aboard.
Source of information: www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk, Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register, www.roll-of-honour.com, honorstates.org
Source of photos: Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register
Monument Text:
Erected to the memory of the airmen
from the 407th Bomb Squadron
United States Army Air Force
whose aircraft crashed near this village
during an operational flight on
the morning of 13th November 1943
2nd Lt. H. T. Fisher |
S. Sgt. D. A. Yeder |
2nd Lt. L. E. Dunaway |
Sgt. R. W. Rhudy |
2nd Lt. D. Gusar |
Sgt. E. E. Payette |
2nd Lt. H. B. Johnson |
Sgt. E. C. Herhily |
S. Sgt. T. T. Arnold |
Sgt. S. M. Aston |
Commemorates:
People:
Units:
407th Bomber Squadron, 92nd Bomb Group
92nd Bomber Group
US Army Air Corps
Wars:
WWII
Other images :