Marion Boyd Forbis was born in Sefton, Illinois, on January 31, 1922, but his home of records was Brownstown. After enlisting in the military, he received basic training and then was sent to gunnery school. He was assigned to a combat training unit as a gunner on a B-17 crew. He deployed to England with this crew as a replacement crew, assigned to the 388th Bomb Group.

Upon arrival at the 388th Bomb Group home station, Knettishal, England, the crew was assigned to the 562nd Bomb Squadron, and flew their first combat mission on November 26, 1943. SSgt Forbis flew a total of 14 missions with this crew, although one mission resulted in an abort for weather.

On February 10, 1944, the crew was scheduled to participate in a bombing raid on Brunswick, Germany. This would be their first mission in the B-17 named "Hells Belles."

Over the target, flak was moderate, with no fighter resistance. On the return home, the aircraft was struck in the wing by flak, setting the wing on fire. A large formation of enemy fighters then engaged the formation, shooting down at least three of the bombers.

The crew of "Hells Belles" managed to bail out, but surviving members later stated the aircraft either blew up or disintegrated, as pieces of wreckage pummeled the crew in their parachute descent. Four members of the crew were killed, and the remaining seven were captured. The aircraft crashed near the village of Uitgeest, Holland, In 1985, pieces of the aircraft were recovered and formed into a memorial to the crew.

SSgt Forbis' is buried in the Forbis Cemetery in Brownstown, Illinois. He was one of the many brave Americans of the 388th Bomber Group who lost their lives in aerial operations against the German forces from June 1943 - August 1945.

Source of information: airforce.togetherweserved.com