About 5-7 meters off the side of the road adjacent to a small stream.

A marker and an informational panel remember the fallen of the B-26 crash.  There is a white marble inscribed plaque mounted on a pedestal about 3 feet high.  A metal informational panel is attached to a pole is located just feet away from the marble marker.

On October 19, 1944 B-26 (42-107565) “Roger the Dodger”, Tail # 88 was shot down by enemy fighters near the town of Redondesco, Italy.  Four of the crew were killed and one was able to parachute to safety.   Per Missing Aircraft Report (MACR) # 9309, Roger the Dodger was part of the 440^th Bomber Squadron of the 319^th Bomber Group – known as “Colonel Randy’s Flying Circus (12^th Air Force).  The 440^th squadron, flying from Serragia, Corsica, participated in a difficult mission to bomb a well-protected railway bridge near Mantova (Mantua), Italy.  Immediately after completing their bombing run , the formation was attacked by ME 109 fighters.  Three bombers were shot down to include “Rodger the Dodger”.  Pilot Donald Treadwell Jr.  attempts to bring the plane to the ground under control but was not successful.  Co-Pilot James W. Tarbutton was able to parachute to safety, while Bombardier Joseph Prebil, and Gunners Willian Robison and Walter Flynn perished in the crash with Pilot Treadwell.   Second Lieutenant Tarbutton was evade being captured for one week with the help of an Italian family; he was captured after being compromised by a fascist group.  Tarbutton spent the rest fo the war in Stalag Luft 3 Sagan-Silesia Bavaria and Nuremberg-Langwasser (49-11) His brother, Captain Jean D. Tarbutton, also was a POW at Stalag 3.  Jean Tarbutton,(O-665246) of the 359^thFighter Squadron, 356^th Fighter Group was shot down on December 5, 1944, flying a P-51 (44-15219) on a mission to Berlin. 

The Roger the Dodger Crew who died during the crash:

Pilot:  1LT Donald Treadwell Jr.

Bombardier: Flight Officer Joseph V. Prebill

Eng Gunner:  S/SGT William M. Robinson

Gunner: T/SGT Walter G. Flynn

Text on the marble marker:

COMMUNE di REDONDESCO

DONALD TREADWELL JR

JOSEPH V. PREBIL

WILLIAM M. ROBINSON

WALTER J FLYNN

REDONDESCO                                                                                   REDONDESCO

19.10.1944                                                                                         19.10.2004

The text on the informational panel is written in Italian:

Commune di Redondesco

(Provincia di Mantova)

Il 19 Ottobre 1944, causa conflitto bellico,

un bombardiere americanno B26 cadde

A cinquecento metri da questo cippo

In dizerzione sud-est.  Nel rispetto della vita,

L’ammistrazione Communale pose.

Translation in English:

Town of Redondesco

(Province of Mantova {Mantua})

On October 19^th, 1944, as a result of the war

An American B-26 bomber crashed

500 meters from this marker 

In a south east direction.  For respect to their lives, 

The community remembers.