On the large tall stone back wall of the cemetery.

A stainless steel engraved plaque.

The plaque remembers the crew of the B-24 (42-51882) of the 826th Bomber Squadron, 484th Bomber Group, 15th US Air Force that crashed nearby on February 20, 1945.

On 20 Feb. 1945, 2nd Lt. Orgene V. Colvin and his crew took off from their base at Torretto Airfield, Foggia Complex in Italy to join their formation on a combat mission to bomb the Marshalling Yards at Bolzano, Italy. Lt. Colvin's plane was hit by six (6) direct hits of flak in the waist. The fuselage was torn from the plane at the rear of the bomb bays. The ball turret broke away and fell free, and the forward section of the plane with the bombs went into a dive, caught fire near the ground, and exploded when it hit the side of the mountain. Two (2) men died of parachute failure. Three (3) more died of either exposure or starvation. Four (4) men were killed from the flak burst: the ball turret gunner, the left and right waist gunners, and the tail gunner.

Lt. Colvin was the only survivor. He was captured and became a POW.

The crew included:

Pilot Orgene V. Colvin 2nd Lt.  0-713353  POW
Co-Pilot Clayton (NMI) Schofield 2nd Lt.  0-2001492  KIA
Navigator Irving (NMI) Levine FIt. O.  T-134711  KIA
Bombardier Julian V. Ronder 2nd Lt.  0-718140  KIA
Engineer / Upper Turret Gnr. Stanley (NMI) Frankel T/Sgt. 12022533  KIA
Radio Operator/Left Waist Gnr. James H. Turner S/Sgt. 14192589  KIA
Nose Turret Gnr. Jesse M. Gallagher Sgt. 13030396  KIA
Tail Turret Gnr. Robert W. Regennitter T/Sgt. 37679105  KIA
Ball Turret Gnr. Lyle D. Wiggins Sgt. 31398395  KIA
Right Waist Gnr. Leonard P. Grabuski Sgt. 33505524 KIA

Source: 484th Bomber Group Association Website: https://484th.org/index.htm

Source of photos: Quello che le montagne restituiscono

The text on the plaque is written in Italian and reads:

A ricordo dei dieci membri dell'equipaggio del bombardiere americano B-24J Liberator appartenente al 826th Bomber - Squadron decollato da Torretta (Foggia) e precipitato a Pontebba il 20 febbraio 1945

l' Amministrazione Comunale

Pontebba, settembre 2025

Translation:

In remembrance of the 10 crewmembers of the American B-24J Liberator Bomber of the 826th Bomber Squadron- taking off from Torretta Airfield (Foggia) and crashed in Pontebba 20 February 1945

The Community Government

Pontebba, September 2025