Floyd C. Nyhagen was born at Los Angeles, California on May 24, 1921. His parents were Nels Carl Nyhagen (10 May 1886 22 Feb 1948), who was born in Wisconsin; and Inga Marie (Follsted) Nyhagen (1 Aug 1893 5 Mar 1959), who was born at Vallers Township, Lyon County, Minnesota. He had a brother, Stanley E. Nyhagen (25 Feb 1923 30 Sep 2000). By 1930 the family lived at 139 West 77th Street, Los Angeles, California, and his father was a carpenter. By 1940 Floyd Nyhagen had graduated from high school and worked as a draftsman in an airplane factory. He was single, without dependents, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Los Angeles, California on October 21, 1942.
He completed Army Air Forces pilot training and was assigned as copilot on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Omar D. Stemple. The Stemple crew completed B-17 operational training at Ardmore Army Air Base, Oklahoma. There is a photo of the Stemple crew at Ardmore on May 16, 1944, that is posted on the 487th Bomb Group website. The crew was assigned to the 838th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group, which was based at Army Air Forces Station 137, near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 on July 24, 1944, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.
On January 14, 1945, the 487th Bomb Group dispatched three Squadrons to bomb the oil refinery at Leuna near Magdeburg, Germany; and the marshalling yards at Osnabruck, Germany. The Stemple crew, then a lead crew, took off from Lavenham in B-17G 44-8563 and led the High Squadron. Captain David D. Reed Jr flew as air leader in the copilot position, and copilot Lt Nyhagen moved to the tail gun position as Officer Tail Gunner and formation observer. Their target was Osnabruck. The aircraft was struck by flak as it crossed the enemy coast between Bremerhaven and Cuxhaven. Then at the initial point for the bomb run, control cables which had been damaged by the flak gave way. The pilots kept the plane in the air on autopilot, but were unable to turn. The aircraft left the formation, headed east toward Berlin, and was attacked by German fighters. Lt Nyhagen was killed at his position in the tail by a direct hit from a 20 mm canon shell. The other ten crew members bailed out. The aircraft crashed at Gutenpaaren, about 20 kilometers northeast of Brandenburg, Germany. Lt Nyhagen's body was found in the wreckage. The body of Lt Reid, the bombardier, was found on January 17, 1945 at Roskow, Germany, less than 4 kilometers west of Gutenpaaren. Apparently his parachute failed. The other nine crew members survived and became prisoners of war.
Lt Nyhagen is buried at Ardennes American Cemetery in Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium.
B-17GSH 44-8563 crew:
Stemple, Omar D 1/Lt Pilot POW
Reed Jr, David D Capt Air Leader POW
Hildebrand, Durston N 1/Lt Navigator POW
Crotty, John H 2/Lt Navigator POW
Reid Jr, Stewart F 1/Lt Bombardier KIA
DuPre, David J 2/Lt Radar Operator POW
Loy Jr, John P T/Sgt Engineer POW
George, Gust T/Sgt Radio Operator POW
Cathcart, Charles J S/Sgt Waist Gunner POW
Wickman, Norman H S/Sgt Waist Gunner POW
Nyhagen, Floyd C 1/Lt Officer Tail Gunner KIA
Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com