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B-17 43-38175 (I'll Be Seeing You) Memorial - Warsaw Uprising Support

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Details:

On the southern-east side of the cemetery, World War II section. There are 2 flag poles (not the entrance gate flag poles) marking the monument.

Monument


A nine-foot granite monolith with the names of the ten crew members engraved on it. The commemoration message is written in Polish. Every year on September 18, a ceremony is held to remember the crew. The monument was erected in 1986.

 

B-17 #43-38175 “I’ll Be Seeing You” also known as “’Til We Meet Again” was hit by flak while on a mercy flight on September 18, 1944, after having left Framlingham, England, to begin Mission #191. Part of a mission of mercy to airdrop canisters of food, weapons, and medical supplies to the bedraggled Polish Underground Army in Warsaw during what became known as "The Warsaw Uprising", the "I'll Be Seeing You" was accompanied by 107 other B-17's, as well as 152 fighters. During this mission, the plane was hit by German flak. Three men managed to bail out successfully before the bomber hit the ground. Unfortunately, they drifted into an area north of Warsaw that was already in the hands of German SS troops. As they slowly fell to earth, they were raked by gunfire. One man was killed, while the other two were captured and spent four months in Nazi POW camps. The pilot and the other six members of his crew were killed when the bomber hit the ground and exploded. The "I'll Be Seeing You" was the only plane lost in the mission.

 


The crew members were: 

Position

Rank

Name

Status

P

1LT

Francis E. Akins

KIA

CP

1LT

Forrest D. Shaw

KIA

NAV

F/O

Ely Berenson

KIA

BOMB

2LT

Myron S. Merrill

KIA

ENG/TT

T/SGT

Frank P. De Cillis

KIA

RO

T/SGT

Marcus L. Shook

EVD

BT

S/SGT

George A. McPhee

KIA

WG

S/SGT

Paul F. Haney

KIA

TG

S/SGT

Walter P. Shimshock

KIA

PASS

SGT

James D. Christy

POW

Source of information: www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov, www.findagrave.com, b17flyingfortress.de

Monument Text:

PAMIĘCI BOHATERSKIEJ ZAŁOGI

 

por FRANCIS AKINS

sierż GEORGE McPHEE

ppor FOREST SHAW

sierż MARCUS SHOOK

ppor ELY BERENSON

sierż WALTER SHIMSHOCK

ppor MYRON MERRILL

sierż JAMES CHRISTY

sierż FRANK de CILLIS

sierż PAUL HANEY

 

 

NIOSACEJ POMOC POWSTANCZEJ WARSZAWIE SAMOLOTEM SIL POWIETRZNYCH U.S.A. BOEING B-17G, DO ZOBACZENIA ZESTRZELONEJ 18IX1944r. NAD DZIEKANOWEM LESNYM PRZEZ ARTYLERIE NIEMIECKA

 

SPOŁECZENSTWO ŁOMIANEK

 

 

English translation:

 

IN MEMORY OF THE HEROIC CREW

 

1LT FRANCIS AKINS

SGT GEORGE McPHEE

2LT FOREST SHAW

SGT MARCUS SHOOK

2LT ELY BERENSON

SGT WALTER SHIMSHOCK

2LT MYRON MERRILL

SGT JAMES CHRISTY

SGT FRANK de CILLIS

SGT PAUL HANEY

 

 

PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO THE UPRISING WARSAW BY U.S. AIR FORCE AIRCRAFT, BOEING B-17G  I’LL BE SEEING YOU WAS SHOT DOWN ON SEPTEMBER 18, 1944, OVER DZIEKANOW LESNY BY GERMAN ARTILLERY.

 

LOMIANEK SOCIETY

Commemorates:

People:

Francis Edward Akins

Ely Berenson

James Donald Christy

Frank Peter De Cillis

Paul Francis Haney

George Anthony MacPhee

Myron S. Merrill

Forrest Dixie “Doc” Shaw

Walter Paul Shimshock

Marcus Leon Shook

Units:

389th Bomber Group (Heavy)

564th Bomber Squadron, 389th Bomber Group, Heavy

8th Air Force

Resistance

US Army Air Corps

Wars:

WWII

Battles:

Operation Frantic

Other images :