In the churchyard against the outer wall.

An inscribed polished marble attached to an upright rock structure.

The cenotaph remembers three crewmen who were killed in the crash of the B-17 (44-6359) on August 29, 1944.  The three airmen were buried in the town cemetery until they were repatriated in 1946. The monument also remembers local citizens who were victims of Nazism. This memorial was dedicated in 1967.

The three crewmen included:

Pilot: 1/Lt. William C. Bullock Jr. 
Waist Gunner: S/Sgt. Joseph M. Laratta 
Tail Gunner: S/Sgt. Maurice E. Nelson 

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. Missing Air Crew Reports (MACR) 8083.

A memorial at the Kasava Town Hall also remembers these airmen; it was dedicated on the 75th Anniversary of the event. See Site Kasava Town Hall. See Site Kasava - Trail to see a monument to the crew.

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, 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.

The text on the plaque is in Czech and reads:

NA VNOU PAM OBTEM FAISMU
STEFAN HUDRON. VOJÍN 1. SL. BRIG. PADL 5.5.1945
ALOIS STEFKA *15.1.1908 +1945
ANTONÍN LANGER *20.8.1920 +1945
OLDICH KNEDLA *12.10.1918 +1944

LETCI USA SESTELENÍ 29.8.1944

WILLIAM L. BULLOCH
JOSEF M. LARATTA
MAURICE E. NELSON

OBANÉ KASAVY 9.5.1967

The English translation:

IN ETERNAL MEMORY OF THE VICTIMS OF FASCISM

STEFAN HUDRON   SOLDIERS OF THE 1ST CZECH BRIGADE, KILLED 5.5.1945
ALOIS STEFKA *15.1.1908 +1945
ANTONÍN LANGER *20.8.1920 +1945
OLDICH KNEDLA *12.10.1918 +1944

US AIRMEN SHOT 29.8.1944

WILLIAM L. BULLOCH
JOSEF M. LARATTA
MAURICE E. NELSON

CITIZENS OF KASAVA 9.5.1967