Speidel Stephen F.

Monuments

B-25 "Oklahoma Betsie" (43-27737) Crash Site Marker

Name:

Stephen F. Speidel

Rank:

Flight Officer

Serial Number:

T-128952

Unit:

380th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 310th Bombardment Group (Medium)

Date of Death:

1988-01-01

State:

Wisconsin

Cemetery:

Friesland Cemetery Friesland, Columbia County, Wisconsin

Plot:

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Comments:

Stephen Speidel was born in 1923 and was from Wisconsin. He was a crew member (Navigator) on the B-25 (43- 27737) “OKLAHOMA BETSIE”, of the 380th Bomber Squadron, 310th Bomber Group, 57th Bomber Wing, when it crashed on April 4, 1945. “Oklahoma Betsie was part of a 12-plane raid to bomb the railroad bridge at Oberdrauburg, Austria. On the return trip, “Oklahoma Betsie” collided with another B-25 (43-27552) “Pretzel”. “Pretzel” crashed immediately with complete loss of life near Monte Zocolan. Three crew members of “Oklahoma Betsie” perished and four became POWs when it crashed nearby in Lovea. A marker near Lovea remembers the crash site of “Oklahoma Betsie.. Speidel became a POW after the plane crashed.