Monuments
B-24 (42-52399) 'Flak Finder' Memorial Objects
B-24 (42-52399) 'Flak Finder' Crash Marker
B-24 42-52399 'Flak Finder' Memorial
Name:
Harold Curtiss Steele
Rank:
Technical Sergeant
Serial Number:
18199369
Unit:
461st Bomber Group
Date of Death:
0000-00-00
State:
Texas
Cemetery:
Plot:
Row:
Grave:
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Technical Sergeant Harold Curtiss Steele, mechanic of the B-24 Liberator “Flak Finder”, took off from the southern Italian town of Torretta at 0630 on the 27th of May, 1944, to attack the German bombers stationed at Salon-de-Provence. At 1000, the “Flak Finder” lived up to its name, taking a direct hit in its right wing and forcing the crew to bail out at the summit of the Pic de l'Aiglo, between Thorenc and Le Mas. He managed to escape the German searches and French collaborators to finally make it home safely.