1st Lt Joseph B. Boyle, co-pilot of the B-17 42-5219, took off from station 105 in Chelveston, Nothamptonshire, UK on a bombing mission over Lorient’s submarine pens. However, the plane experienced engine trouble on the way over there, leaving it vulnerable to strafing runs by enemy fighters. Once over the target area, the plane suffered more damage, prompting the pilot to give the order to bail out. Only four were able to jump successfully. Of the rest, two died due to malfunctioning parachutes and one body was found shot through the head. The others went down with the plane. Boyle was captured and sent to Stalag Luft3 in Sagan Silésie.

From the Congressional Record:
REMEMBERING JOSEPH BOYLE Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, 75 years ago over Brech, France, an American B–17 bomber was downed by hostile fire. The copilot of that bomber was Second Lieutenant Joseph Boyle, a proud Granite Stater. Lieutenant Boyle was one of four survivors out of a crew of 10, and while two of the crew escaped capture, Lieutenant Boyle and another aviator were captured and in- terned in Stalag Luft III, a notorious prisoner of war camp operated by the German Luftwaffe. For his service dur- ing the Second World War, which in- cluded 16 bombing raids over enemy-oc- cupied territory, Lieutenant Boyle was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart. After he returned home, Mr. Boyle raised a family, opened a furniture business, and was active in his commu- nity. Mr. Boyle was a lifelong tennis player and golfer and cherished the time he spent with his eight grand- children. Mr. Boyle passed away in 2009, after a life well-lived and full of love. He is missed by his family and all those whose lives he touched in New Hampshire and across the world. In 2001, before his passing, the people and government of France enacted a monument to Mr. Boyle and the other members of his aircrew. Standing out- side the town of Brech, this memorial displays the names of the Americans who were in that downed B–17. As this year marks the 75th anniversary of the day that Mr. Boyle and his crew were shot down, the people of Brech have in- vited Mr. Boyle’s family to join them to remember the events of that day and the sacrifice that many Americans made so that the people of France could once again be free. Ceremonies such as this one are so important, both to honor the service and sacrifice of the Greatest Genera- tion and as a symbol of the enduring relationship between the United States and our oldest ally, France. It is crit- ical that we remember all those who sacrificed in the fight against totali- tarianism and helped keep our nations safe and free.