Owens Harry E.

Monuments

B-17 #42-102585 ‘The Betty L’ Monument

Crash of the B-17 'The Betty L' Plaque

Name:

Harry E. Owens

Rank:

Staff Sergeant

Serial Number:

19180904

Unit:

534th Bomber Squadron, 381st Bomb Group

Date of Death:

1944-06-21

State:

Missouri

Cemetery:

Mount Carmel Cemetery, Clifton Hill, Randolph County, Missouri

Plot:

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Comments:

Harry E. Owens was born on March 21, 1908, in Missouri. He was the son of Luther Berry Owens and Susan Jane Culbertson Owens. He was married to Loretta Venita Day Gehlert.

Harry served in the 534th Bomber Squadron, 381st Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Right Waist Gunner on the B-17 #42-102585 'The Betty L' during World War II.

On June 24, 1944, his crew took off from Station 167 airfield in Ridgewell, England, for a bombing mission to La Riche - Tours, France. Around 08:30H, their plane was shot down by flak, taking a direct hit to the radio room and setting the engine no. 3 on fire. The plane crashed in the town of Valléres. This incident resulted in the deaths of four crew members, four were taken as prisoners, and one member evaded the German capture. SSgt Owens was one of those who were killed. He is now buried in the Mount Carmel Cemetery, Clifton Hill, Randolph County, Missouri, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov, francecrashes39-45.net