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Sgt Thomas F. Harkins Monument

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Details:

On the east side of the road.

Monument

A boulder bearing a rectangular plaque about Sgt Harkins. The plaque is written in German. A depiction of an airplane is also included.


Sgt Harkins was the Turret Gunner on B-17 42-37847 of the 511th Bomber Squadron, 351st Bomber group when he was KIA on December 1, 1943 after a mission to Soligen, Germany.  The rest of the crew was taken prisoner.

Monument Text:

Zur Ereinnerung an den 1. Dezember 1943

 

An diesem Tag flog die 8. US-Luftflotte den 145. Einsatz

gegen Deutschland auf, die Stahlindustrie von Solingen und

Leverkusen. Beim Rückflug nach England kam es über der

Eifel zu einem Luftkampf, bei dem ein B-17 Bomber

abgeschossen wurde und hier am Radersberg zu Boden

stürzte. In den Trümmern wurde der Bordingenieur

Sergeant Thomas F. Harkins gefunden. Er wurde zunächst

USA überführt. Er war beim Luftkampf von einer 20 mm

Granate tödlich am Kopf getroffen worden.

 

 

English translation:

 

In memory of December 1, 1943

 

On this day, the US 8th Air Fleet flew its 145th mission

against Germany, the steel industry of Solingen and

Leverkusen. On the return flight to England,

there was a dogfight over the

Eifel in which a B-17 bomber

was shot down and crashed here at Radersberg.

The flight engineer, Sergeant Thomas F. Harkins,

was found in the wreckage.

He was initially transferred to the USA.

He was fatally hit in the head with a 20 mm grenade.

Commemorates:

People:

Thomas Francis “Tommy”, Jr. Harkins

Units:

511th Bomber Squadron, 351st Bomber Group, Heavy

US Army Air Corps

Wars:

WWII

Other images :