Jim Frederick Burch was born on August 16, 1917, in Kaufman County, Texas. He was the son of Edmond Preston Burch and Nora V. Burch. He was married to Olga E. Burch. He attended Terrell High School and worked as a grocery salesman before enlisting on April 17, 1942. After pilot training, he became a 2nd Lieutenant and was assigned to the 385th Bomber Group in England as a co-pilot. On October 10, 1943, his B-17#42-3539 was shot down over Nijverdal, Holland. Burch, aided by Dutch citizens and resistance networks, traveled through Belgium and France, eventually attempting to cross the Franco-Spanish border with a group of evaders. Exhausted, he struggled through the Pyrenees mountains and, despite not being able to swim, tried to cross the Bidassoa River. Tragically, on December 24, 1943, he drowned in the river. His body was later found but not recovered, and rumors suggest the Germans disposed of it. Although the Germans took the documents and objects found with their bodies, the precise location of their subsequent burial remains unknown. Despite this, Burch’s name remains on the USAAF Missing List, and he is honored on memorials such as the Tablets of the Missing at the Cambridge American Cemetery in England and the Wall of the Missing at Oakland Memorial Park in Texas.Source of photo and information: www.americanairmuseum.com