Edward Ingard Peterson was born on July 26, 1921, in Superior, Douglas County, Wisconsin. He was the son of Daniel Prods Peterson and Hansina Karoline Guttlevik Peterson. He was married to Catherine J Peterson.

Edward served in the 526th Bomber Squadron, 379th Bomb Group, as a Second Lieutenant and Co-Pilot on the B-17 #42-31648 'Ensign Mary' during World War II.

On June 16, 1944, the crew took off at Station 117 airfield in Kimbolton, England, on a mission to bomb the Laon-Couvron airdrome in France. At 18h53, their plane was hit by flak during the attack, then again later at Breuil and Sacy-le-Grand. One of the engines caught fire, and the pilot gave the order to evacuate. The pilot stayed in command to avoid the village and crashed with his plane along with Sgt Tullier, who also remained in the aircraft. The rest bailed out, surviving the crash. Five of them were taken prisoners, while two members (including 2Lt Peterson) were able to evade German capture. 2Lt Peterson was one of the 152 allied airmen and soldiers who were helped and hidden in the Freteval Forest camp by the French Resistance to evade German capture.

2Lt Peterson also served in the Korean and Vietnam wars. He achieved his highest rank in the United States Air Force as a Colonel. He died on February 19, 1998, at the age of 76, and is now buried in the Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Denver County, Colorado, USA.

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