Wendell S. Snyder served in the 849th Bomber Squadron, 490th Bomber Group, Heavy as a Technical Sergeant and Engineer of the B-17 #43-38078 "Little Red's Wagon" during World War II. On April 19, 1945, during a combat mission at Aussig, Czechoslovakia, the plane had lost its number two engine, dropped out of the group formation and the crew was ordered to bail out. However, Lt. Norvell (pilot) and TSGT Snyder stayed with plane, jettisoned the bombs and flew eighty miles away. The rest of the aircraft crew was then captured and were taken to the Konopiste castle area together with the remaining members of the other bomber, B-17 43-38701, which was also shot down that day. Shortly before midnight on April 19, 1945, they were murdered and buried in a mass grave.

TSGT Snyder tried to extinguish the burning second engine on the left wing. Although they found out during the attempt to save the plane that the self-extinguishing device was not working, they continued to fly west to the American lines, even though the plane was in danger of exploding. After another hit by an air defense, they had to leave the plane directly over Pilsen, Czech Republic, where they both left it by parachute. SGT Snyder landed in a tennis court in the middle of town, suffering from bullet grazing wounds to the head and leg as he parachuted down. He spent two days in a German hospital, then transferred to a Russian POW camp northeast of Pilsen for the remainder of the war and survived.

Wendell died of a heart attack on an unknown date and his current burial place is unknown.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.lovecpokladu.cz, The Boys in the B-17: 8Th Air Force Combat Stories of WWII, www.geocaching.com, www.leteckabadatelna.cz