Mounted on the exterior wall of the building beside the 447^th Bomb Group plaque.

A bronze plaque with a portrait of Femoyer on the top left, etchings of 3 B-17 warplanes, and etching of a Medal of Honor on the bottom right. The plaque contains a dedication message and 2Lt Femoyer’s account of death inscribed in English in raised lettering. 

On November 2, 1944, his fifth mission and just days after his 23rd birthday, the 711th SQ attacked an oil refinery at Merseburg, near Leipzig, Germany. His B-17 was battered, hit several times by flak, and had two of the four engines severely damaged. Femoyer bled heavily from shrapnel wounds to his side and back. The B-17 (#42-38052 ‘Lucky Stehley Boy’) quickly lost both height and speed and was forced to leave the formation, making it more vulnerable to attack from fighters, but Femoyer was not going to let his crew members down. Deciding to turn for home, the pilot asked for a route. In response, Femoyer, determined to keep a clear head, refused all medical assistance before planning their route home. He insisted on being propped up so he could read his maps despite the injury to his body that made sitting extremely difficult. Guiding the pilot safely around heavy flak zones, they eventually reached the safety of the English coast, where then and only then, did Femoyer allow morphine and other medical aid to be administered. The pilot managed to guide the stricken aircraft home whereupon landing at RAF Rattlesden, Femoyer was removed from his post and taken to hospital where he sadly died about an hour later. For his valor and courage, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Source of information: www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk, Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register, www.mightyeighth.org

Source of photos: eastangliamemorials.blogspot.com, www.controltowers.co.uk

IN MEMORY OF

SECOND LIEUTENANT ROBERT EDWARD FEMOYER

711TH BOMB SQDN, 447TH BOMB GROUP, US ARMY AIR CORPS

"He remained true to his mission, true to his comrades, and true

to his own standard of honor."

Severely wounded by antiaircraft fire over Merseburg, Germany,

Lt Femoyer refused painkillers, keeping his mind clear to guide

his plane out of danger and save his comrades. Despite extreme

pain and loss of blood, he navigated his lone bomber for 2 1/2

hours, clinging to the last slender thread of life until his plane had

arrived safely over the English Channel. LT Femoyer died of his

wounds shortly after landing. The heroism and self-sacrifice of

Lt Femoyer were in keeping with the highest traditions of the

447th Bomb Group and the U.S. Army Air Corps.