Tyrol Air Battle (Aug 1944) Monument
Details:
Next to the town war memorial.
Monument
An upright piece of granite rock with three inscribed brass plaques attached to the front; a piece of an aircraft is at the monument base.
The monument remembers the August 3, 1944 air war over the Austrian Tyrol. Planes of the 15th US Air Force were returning from a bombing mission to Friedrichshafen when engaged in heavy combat over the Tyrol with eight B-24 bombers being shot down in the area. Per the memorial plaque, 30 crew members were killed and 49 survived to spend the rest of the war as POWs. The memorial also remembers eight German fighter pilots (lower plaque).
The monument lists the 30 KIA crew members that day and crashed nearby.
The planes of the 465th Bomber Group that crashed that day and their location included:
Lermoos: B-24 (42-78322), 782nd Bomber Squadron, 10 KIA
Brendlkar: B-24 (42-52498) "Sugar Baby", 780th Bomber Squadron, 2 KIA
Wampeter: B-24 (44-41011), 'Fast Number', 782nd Bomber Squadron, 5 KIA
Biberwier: B-24 (42-78308), 780th Bomber Squadron, 4 KIA
Hohe Munde: B-24 (44-41017), 782nd Bomber Squadron, 2 KIA
Beim Wasser: B-24 (42-95284), 782nd Bomber Squadron, 7 KIA
Several of these crash sites (Brendlkar, Lermoos) also have memorials remembering the crews as well.
Monument Text:
The plaques on the monument are written in English and German. The English reads on the top plaque:
On the 8 crash sites there are plaquets fixed with
names and ranks of the crewmembers.
IN COMMEMORATION
AUGUST 3, 1944 ON THE HEAVIEST AIRBATTLE OVER
TYROL 8 LIBERATORS BOMBERS TO THE 15. AIRFORCE
WERE SHOT DOWN BY GERMAN FIGHTERS. 30 CREW MEMBERS
WERE KILLED AND 49 WERE ABLE TO RESCUE THEIR LIVES BY
BAILING OUT AND WERE MADE PRISONERS OF WAR.
Middle Plaque:
|
Liberator 42-78322 "Lermoos" |
Capt. Jack M. Faiver 2nd Lt. James W. THORNTON 2nd Lt. Richard E. THOMAS 2nd Lt. Leonard S. COX T/Sgt. Ralph P. SEHNERT T/Sgt. Edwin E. NOLEN S/Sgt. Frank PERRONE S/Sgt. James R. ADAMS S/Sgt. William W. BRODERICK S/Sgt. Henry P. EGERTON
|
|
Liberator FO 42-52498 "Brendlkar" |
S/Sgt. Lawrence J. HAMILTON S/Sgt. Charles F. SELLARS
|
|
Liberator 44-41011 "Wampeter Schrofen" |
S/Sgt. John KOSTICK S/Sgt. Willis L. PRINCE S/Sgt. John W. LEMELEY S/Sgt. William R. CAMPELL S/Sgt. Ernest R. ZAMORA
|
|
Liberator 42-78308 "Biberwier" |
2nd Lt. Garber DE WITT S/Sgt. Hoyt O. GEOGHAGEN S/Sgt. Victor E. BULLOCK S/Sgt. Albert A. PEARSON
|
|
Liberator 44-41017 "Hohe Munde" |
2nd Lt. Theodore G. POOLE T/Sgt. Albert S. HILL
|
|
Liberator 42-95284 "Beim Wasser" |
1st. Lt. Howard F. FIECOAT 2nd Lt. Robert C. JOHNSON 2nd Lt. Seth C. BABCOCK Jr. 2nd Lt. Latham DENNING T/Sgt. Ralph W. HERRINGTON T/Sgt. Carl L. TRIPP S/Sgt. Andrew S. KRESNAK |
Lower Plaque:
IN COMMEMORATION
IN THE HEAVIEST AIR BATTLE
OVER THE TYROL IN WORLD WAR II
EIGHT GERMAN FIGHTER PILOTS WERE SHOT DOWN
FROM US-LIBERATOR BOMBERS
OVER THE AREA OF FERNPASS
Commemorates:
People:
Units:
15th Air Force
465th Bomber Group (H)
55th Bomber Wing
780th Bomber Squadron, 465th Bomber Group, Heavy
782nd Bomber Squadron, 465th Bomber Group
783rd Bomber Squadron, 465th Bomb Group
783rd Bomber Squadron, 465th Bomber Group
Wars:
WWII
Other images :
