Arthur Aaron Schwartz was born on June 16, 1919. He served in the US Army Air Forces as a Sergeant and was the Radio Operator of the C-47 #43-30719 aircraft during World War II. On December 16, 1943, at 10:30 pm, the plane departed from Port Lyautey in French Morocco bound for RAF Station St. Eval in southwest England. The nine-and-half hour path took them mostly over open water, including the Bay of Biscay, where German aircraft frequently patrolled; as a result, Allied planes operated under strict radio silence. Prior to reaching this airspace, the C-47 was scheduled to change course at the halfway point near Cape Finisterre in northern Spain. But for reasons never fully explained, 43-30719 headed due north for Ireland and directly into the eye of a brutal winter storm.

At approximately 7:00 am on a cold, dark morning, the crew found themselves above County Kerry – home of the highest summits in the country. Lt. Scharf presumably dropped altitude in search of recognizable landmarks, unaware that they were flying dangerously low in an area of 3,000 ft. peaks. Heading southwards direction, the C-47 slammed into a north-facing ridge. All men were killed in the crash. The crew members were interred in the Lisnabreeny Former American Military Cemetery in England. The cemetery closed in 1948 and their remains were exhumed and transferred. SGT Schwartz is buried now in the B’nai Israel Hebrew Cemetery, Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, irishamerica.com

Source of photo: ww2irishaviation.com