On the right side of the main Kassel Mission 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 in the 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.

Another nearby memorial remembers the lead aircraft for the 702nd Squadron.  See Site Grebenau, B-24 (42-50961) Kassel Mission Crash Marker -445th Bomber Group memorial.

Source of info & photos: www.kasselmission.org

445th Bombardment Group (H)

702nd Squadron:

2nd Lt Harold P. Allen *1st Lt.Donald E. Brent *S/Sgt.James

L. Bridgeo *Sgt.Henry Broadway,Jr. *S/Sgt.Olen C. Byrd

1st Lt.Virgil Chima *2nd Lt.Francis W. Costley *2nd Lt.

John W. Cowgill *F/O Daniel Dale *2nd Lt.John D. Dent *1st Lt.Myron

H. Donald *T/Sgt.James T. Fields *S/Sgt.Carl W. Forster *T/Sgt.Andrew

Fratta *2nd Lt.James F. Freybler *S/Sgt.Joseph H. Gilfoil *S/Sgt.Brian

J. Hurt *S/Sgt.Robert C. Imhoff *S/Sgt.Edward J. Johnson *Sgt.Olin

D. Johnson *2nd Lt.Robert C. Johnston *T/Sgt.Anthony Kielar *2nd Lt.

William H. Koenig *S/Sgt.Donald W. Larsen *S/Sgt.George B. Linkletter

*S/Sgt.James L. McEntee *2nd Lt.Harold H. Mercier *S/Sgt.Lawrence

A. Modlin *S/Sgt.Charles G. Pakestein *S/Sgt.RIchard L. Parsons

S/Sgt.Raymond J. Paulus *2nd Lt.Herbert Potts *2nd Lt.Hektor

V. Scala *1st Lt.James W. Schaen *S/Sgt.Milton C. Smisek *S/Sgt.

Douglas P. Smith *T/Sgt.William C. Stephens *S/Sgt.Walter J. Walston

2nd Lt.Leslie E. Warman *S/Sgt.Woodard C. Watts *2nd Lt.Dale F. Zornow

703rd Squadron:

S/Sgt.William Aaron *2nd Lt.Louis P. Ajello *2nd Lt.

Truman Armstrong,Jr. *2nd Lt.Herbert M. Bateman *2nd Lt.

Laurence G. Barben *2nd Lt.Thomas C. Bibb *2nd Lt.Roy E.

Bolin *S/Sgt.John E. Buch,Jr. *Capt.John H. Chilton *Sgt.

James J. Crowley *T/Sgt.John J. Donahue *Sgt.James M. Douglas *1st Lt.

Oliver B. Elder *2nd Lt.William E. Flickner *Sgt.Tage R. Frederiksen

2nd Lt.Edward A. Globis *T/Sgt.Earl B. Groves *1st Lt.Edward F. Hautman

1st Lt.Raymond E. Ische *S/Sgt.Sylvester V. Lello *2nd Lt.

Michael J. Luongo *Sgt.Sigmund Mischel *Major Don W. McCoy *S/Sgt.

Stanley H. Morse * 1st Lt.William J. Mowat *S/Sgt.John B. Neher,Jr. *Sgt.

Robert W. Oleson *2nd Lt.Andrew G. Seeds *S/Sgt.Robert E. Shay *2nd

Lt.Joseph F. Sirl *2nd Lt.Orville P. Smets *F/O.John L. Spingler *2nd

Lt.Harold E. Sutherland *S/Sgt.John A. Tarbert *2nd Lt.Charles Vergos

S/Sgt.Gordon F. Waldron *Sgt. Charles E. Weatherly *Sgt.Clare

L. Wheeler *S/Sgt Everette L. Williams