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Kassel Mission (700th and 701st Squadron, 445th Bomber Group) Monument

<< Back to Ludwigsau Kassel Mission Airmen's Memorial

Details:

On the left side of the main Kassel Mission monument.

Monument

An upright stone slab monument featuring a rectangular bronze plaque mounted on the front, listing the names and ranks of airmen from the 445th Bombardment Group (H), U.S. Army Air Forces, who were killed during the Kassel Mission  aerial battle during World War II.

The Kassel Mission included thirty-five 445th Bomber Group B-24 Liberators and 336 men who make up their crews who suffered what is considered the greatest single-day loss to a group from one airfield in aviation warfare history, all within six minutes.

Twenty-five of the heavy bombers are downed inside of Germanys borders; three crash land--two in France and one in Belgium; two make forced landings at an emergency field in England; and another crashes after it makes it home but is waved off to try again. All tolled, only four B-24s of the original thirty-five return safely to base at Tibenham.

117 airmen of the Mighty Eighths 445th are killed in action, 121 are taken prisoner, and only 98 are returned to duty.

Source of info & photos: www.kasselmission.org

Monument Text:

445th Bombardment Group (H)

700th Squadron:

2nd Lt.Daniel A. Abraham *2nd Lt.Daniel H. Appleton *2nd

Lt.George R. Austin *T/Sgt.Roy A. Belouski *S/Sgt.Ralph

H. Bode *2nd Lt.Newell W. Brainard *S/Sgt.William J.Fleming

*2nd Lt.Robert N. Hansen *F/O Henry J. Henrikson *T/Sgt.Calvin

F. Hess *S/Sgt.S.E. Howell,Jr. *T/Sgt. Robert D. Johnson *S/Sgt.

Louis Ochevsky *T/Sgt.Charles C. Palmer,Jr. *S/Sgt.Victor J. Panconi

S/Sgt.Fred A. Paulus *2nd Lt.Porter M. Pile *S/Sgt.Glenn H. Shaffer

*2nd Lt.Arthur E. Stearns *T/Sgt.Louis T. Tocket *T/Sgt.James M.

Triplett *1st Lt.John P. Willet,Jr.

 

701st Squadron:

2nd Lt.John J. Becker *T/Sgt.Glenn R.A. Bergquist *2nd Lt.

Ross B. Brower *S/Sgt.Ferdinand K. Flach *2nd Lt.Martin

Geiszler,Jr. *2nd Lt.William F. Golden *S/Sgt.Norman A.

Hollis *S/Sgt.Lee R.J. Huffman *S/Sgt.Lars E. Larsen *Sgt.

Robert M. Long *S/Sgt.Milo R. Mann *2nd Lt.Kenneth L. Meeks

Sgt.Norman J. Stewart *T/Sgt.Richard W. Vernor *S/Sgt.John F. Wise