Maurice Ames Tilby was born on June 8, 1924, in Eureka, Juab County, Utah. He was the son of Marinus Elroy Tilby and Katherine Ames Tilby. He entered military service in October 1942 and trained as an aerial gunner, receiving his gunner’s wings at Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 13, 1944. Tilby served with the 15th Air Force, flying as a tail gunner aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress operating from bomber bases in Italy. He had flown multiple combat missions, including raids over German oil refineries, and had previously participated in the Italian campaign. He was promoted from Sergeant to Staff Sergeant and was awarded the Air Medal with oak leaf clusters for his combat service.

On March 22, 1945, the B-17 #44-6440 was lost during a combat mission over Germany in the closing weeks of World War II. The aircraft was part of a daylight bombing operation flown by the Fifteenth Air Force, which at that stage of the war was focused on disrupting remaining German transportation networks, industrial targets, and military infrastructure. During the mission, the bomber came under intense German anti-aircraft fire. Critically damaged and unable to maintain formation, the aircraft attempted to break away but ultimately crashed near the town of Großräschen, in present-day Brandenburg, Germany. The crash claimed the lives of nine crew members, all of whom were killed when the aircraft went down, leaving no known survivors.

SSgt Tilby is now buried in the Payson City Cemetery, Payson, Utah County, Utah, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, U.S. Army Air Force Missing Air Crew Reports (MACR)