B-17 (42-97159) 'Tail End Charlie' Crew KIA Cenotaph- Mission 263
Details:
Located in the cemetery along side the graves of Czech freedom fighters killed in World War 2
CenotaphA yellow stone grave inscribed grave marker.
The cenotaph remembers two of the B-17 (42-97159)'Tail End Charlie' crew that were killed in action when their plane was shot down during Mission 263 on August 29, 2944 during the 'Air Battle over the White Carpathians".
The crew members remembered on the cenotaph are: 2/Lt. Russell W. Meyrick, Bombardier & Sgt. Joseph Marinello, Ball Turret Gunner.
On August 29, 2944, the 15th Air Force conducted "Mission 263", a raid on the Moravska Ostrava industrial complex (current-day city of Ostrava). The 2nd Bomber group supported this mission flying from flying from Amendola Air Base, Foggia, Italy. as become known as the "Air Battle over the White Carpathians", nine B-17Gs from 2nd Bomber Group were attacked by 89 German fighters and 20 minutes later eight of them were shot down and crashed in Slovakia (1), Czech Republic (7) and one crash landed in Hungary. 41 US airmen lost their lives, 28 of them were buried in a mass grave in Slavicin. Four fliers evaded capture, and 55 airmen ended up in German POW camps. All the planes of the 20th Bomber Squadron were shot down that day; 1/Lt. William S. Tune, Pilot on this bomber was also the Commander of the 20th Bomber Squadron. Missing Air Crew Reports (MACR) 8763.
The crew of the B-17 (42-97159) 'Tail End Charlie' included:
Pilot: |
1/Lt. William S. Tune | POW |
Co-pilot: | 1/Lt. Francis W. Flynn | POW |
Navigator: | 2/Lt. Loy A. Dickinson | POW |
Bombardier | 2/Lt. Russell W. Meyrick | KIA - Rudice |
Engineer: | T/Sgt. Thomas C. Coogan | POW |
Radio Operator: | T/Sgt. Robert R. Kirsch | POW |
Waist Gunner: | S/Sgt. Joseph E. Sallings | Evaded Capture |
Waist Gunner: | S/Sgt. Joseph P. Owsianik | POW |
Ball Turret Gunner: | Sgt. Joseph Marinello | KIA- Rudice |
Tail Gunner: | S/Sgt. Robert D. Donahue | Evaded Capture |
Sgt. Joseph Marinello is also remembered on the Sgt Joseph Marinello Memorial - B-17 (42-97159) 'Tail End Charlie' Mission 263 located at Site Preckovice -Woods (Jehlicna)
2/Lt. Russell W. Meyrick is also remembered at 2LT Russel Meyrick Memorial -B-17 (42-97159) 'Tail End Charlie' Mission 263 located at Site Rudice (Ziln)-Amerika.
Several museums in the area also remember this battle. See sites: Sanov; Slavicin, and Bojkovice.
Search "Mission 263" for memorials and cenotaphs associated with this event on our website.
For more information, the see the Air Battle over the White Carpathian website at: www.leteckabitvakarpaty.cz
Special thanks to Mission 263 - Aug 29,1944 / Letecká bitva 29.8.1944 Facebook page & group for remembering this battle and for the several memorials that remember this mission.
Note: Next to the cenotaph of the two US Airmen, are the graves of two Czech Freedom fighters Frantiek Kobzík and Josef Vanc. These two Czechs were trained in Britain and deployed to Czechoslovakia as part of the SOE "Operation Carbon". They were killed in Rudice in May 1944. Frantiek Kobzík was an Olympic Rower for Czechoslovakia in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
Monument Text:
The text on the plaque is in Czech and Englishand reads:
LETCI AMERICKÉHO BOMBARDÉRU B-17
(American B-17 Bomber Crew)
RUSSELL W. MEYRICK
*1921 SPRINGFIELD USA +29.8.1944 RUDICE
JOSEPH MARINELLO, JR.
*1925 NEW YORK +29.8.1944 PEKOVICE
PARAUTISTÉ ZAHRANINÍHO ODDÍLU CARBON
(Parachutists of Operation Carbon)
FRANTIEK KOBZÍK
*1914 BECLAV SR +7.5.1944 RUDICE
JOSEF VANC
*1915 ZITTÍN SR +7.5.1944 RUDICE
BOJUJEME, ABYCHOM BYLI SVOBODNÍ
WE FIGHT TO BE FREE
GEORGE WASHINGTON