Just off a wooded trail about 1 kilometer north of the Chateaux.

A crash site marker made with a metal cross, with an engraved inscription, located along side pieces of the B-24. The memorial also includes an information sign. An older inscribed metal pice is imbedded into a nearby tree.

The memorial remembers the B-24 'Rough Cobb' (42-52313) of the 737th Bomber Squadron, 454th Bomber Group, 15th AIr Force that crashed here on August 29, 2944. The plane with 10 man crew flew out of San Giovanni, Italy was shot down during Mission 263 in the "Air Battle over the White Carpathian Mountains". The memorial specifically mention the one crew member killed in action, Staff Sergeant Andrew A. Solock, the Ball Turret Gunner; the other crew were taken POW. Missing Aircraft Report (MACR) 11544.

On August 29, 2944, the 15th Air Force conducted "Mission 263",  a raid on the Moravska Ostrava industrial complex (Current day city of Ostrava).  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.

The crew of 'Rough Cobb' included:

Many aircraft did not return that day and several have an associated memorial.  The list of the planes that did not return in Mission 263 in addition to 'Rough Cobb" were:

- B-17, 42-97159 'Tail End Charlie', crash site Preckovice, 20th Bomber Squadron (BS), 2nd Bomber Group (BG)

- B-17, 44-6359, crash site Kasava, 20th BS, 2nd BG 
- B-17, 42-107118 'Snafuperman', 20th BS, 2nd BG
- B-17, 42-32048 'Queen', crash site Krhov, 20th BS, 2nd BG
- B-17, 42-38096 'Big Time', crash site Sanov Woods, 20th BS, 2nd BG
- B-17, 42-31473 'My Baby', crash site Nova Bosaca Woods (Slovakia), 20th BS, 2nd BG
- B-17, 42-31885 'Lovely Ladies', crash site Vyskovec North, 20th BS, 2nd BG
- B-17, 44-6369, crash site Liptal, 49th BS, 2nd BG
- B-17, 42-97915 'Wolf Pack', crash landing near Környe-Kömlöd (Hungary), 429th Bomber BS, 2nd BG

Several museums in the area across the border in Czechia also remember this battle.  See sites: Sanov; Slavicin, and Bojkovice.

Search "Mission 263" for memorials and other cenotaphs associated with this event on our website.

S/SGT Solock is also remembered at Site Nemsova-Luborca Small Cemetery with a cenotaph and memorial.

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.

ANDREW A. SOLOCK. SSGT

WHO PERISHED HERE ON AUGUST 29, 1944

15TH US AIR FORCE

304TH BW   454TH BG    737TH BS

B-24 H-15-FO 42-52313 'ROUGH COBB'