Grove Floyd Orville

Monuments

B-17s Chicken Ship, Scarlet Harlot, & Raven's Nest Crash Memorial -457th Bomber Group

Name:

Floyd Orville Grove

Rank:

Second Lieutenant

Serial Number:

O-692961

Unit:

749th Bomber Squadron, 457th Bomber Group

Date of Death:

1944-04-09

State:

Minnesota

Cemetery:

Fairview Cemetery, Stillwater, Washington County, Minnesota, USA

Plot:

Block 25

Row:

Lot 43

Grave:

Decoration:

Purple Heart

Comments:

Floyd Orville Grove was born on February 19, 1919, in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington. He enlisted in the service on July 3, 1942. He served in the 749th Bomb Squadron, 457th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Co-Pilot of the B-17 (42-31629) known as ''Raven's Haven'' during World War II.

On April 9, 1944, during a raid over the Polish port city of Gdynia, the aircraft sustained heavy damage from German anti-aircraft defenses and was subsequently attacked by Fw 190 fighters. The assault crippled the plane, disabling one of its engines and compromising its cockpit. Despite efforts by pilot Lt. David P. Parks to maintain control, the damage forced the crew to abandon the aircraft over German territory. Out of the ten crew members aboard, seven were killed, while three survived and were taken as prisoners of war. 2Lt Grove was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Fairview Cemetery, Stillwater, Washington County, Minnesota, USA.

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