B-17G 42-31037 Pistol Packin’ Mama Crewmen Monument
Details:
On the north side of the road.
Monument
A rough-hewn stone monument bearing a rectangular plaque in the center commemorating 2Lt Owen H. Jorgensen, TSgt John S. Spirodek, and SSgt Donald H. Schmidli, crew members of B-17G 42-31037 Pistol Packin’ Mama, who died on July 20, 1944. The plaque is written in German and was erected on August 28, 2001.
On July 20, 1944, the B-17G Pistol Packin’ Mama was hit by German flak during a mission to bomb the Kölleda airfield after cloud cover obscured the primary target in Leipzig. The aircraft caught fire and broke apart mid-air before crashing near Bärenhügel, southeast of Wohlsborn, resulting in the deaths of three crew members, while the other six crew members were captured immediately and survived the war in various POW camps.
Source of information and photo: aircrewremembered.com
Monument Text:
ZUM GEDENKEN
AN DIE BESATZUNGSMITGLIEDER
EINES US-BOMBERS B17
NAVIGATOR 2LT. OWEN H. JORGENSEN
FUNKER T/SGT. JOHN S. SPIRODEX
HECKSCH. S/SGT. DONALD H. SCHMIDLEY
DIE AM 20. JULI 1944
IN DER GEMARKUNG WOHLSBORN
IHR LEBEN VERLOREN
DIE GEMEINDE
English Translation:
IN MEMORY
OF THE CREW MEMBERS
OF A US B17 BOMBER
NAVIGATOR 2LT. OWEN H. JORGENSEN
RADIO OPERATOR T/SGT. JOHN S. SPIRODEX
TAIL GUNNER S/SGT. DONALD H. SCHMIDLEY
WHO LOST THEIR LIVES ON JULY 20, 1944
IN THE WOHLSBORN DISTRICT
THE COMMUNITY
Commemorates:
People:
Units:
401st Bomber Group
613th Bomber Squadron, 401st Bomber Group, Heavy
United States Army
Wars:
WWII
Battles:
Operation Pointblank