Thomas Joseph Foley served in the 785th Bomber Squadron, 466th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Co-Pilot of B-24J #42-110160, nicknamed “Chris Crate II " during World War II.

On February 23, 1945, the “Chris Crate II” took off from RAF Attlebridge, England, on a combat mission over Germany, with 2nd Lt. Theodore V. Kolaya serving as pilot. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft developed serious engine trouble over the North Sea. The No. 4 engine was observed to be on fire, while the No. 2 engine began cutting out, leaving the heavily loaded Liberator unable to maintain altitude. As the aircraft rapidly lost altitude, neither affected engine was feathered, and no warning bell sounded before impact. The B-24 struck the North Sea approximately 15 miles east of Cromer, Norfolk. It came down into the wind and swell, pancaking onto the water tail-high with power still on. The impact was extremely violent: the Martin upper turret collapsed, the bomb-bay doors broke, and the fuselage fractured through the floor around the waist section. The damaged Liberator immediately began sinking. Despite the severity of the crash, three crewmen escaped. The three men were subsequently rescued, while six other crewmen were lost with “Chris Crate II.”

2Lt Foley was declared Missing in Action, and his name was memorialized in the Tablets of the Missing in the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial, Coton, South Cambridgeshire District, Cambridgeshire, England.

Sources of information: www.findagrave.com, americanarchive.iwm.org.uk, www.b24.net, weremember.abmc.gov