Harvey M. Walthall was born on October 16, 1921. He served in the 832nd Bomb Squadron, 486th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Pilot on the B-17 #43-37909 during World War II.

2Lt Walthall was killed on August 4, 1944, the victim of a war crime. That day, their plane was hit by flak and slightly collided with another airplane during a mission in Hamburg, Germany. Struggling to control the damaged aircraft, one crew member left the plane before they managed to control it and make a turn toward England. Another crew member bailed out when the plane was approaching Quelkhorn, ENE from Bremen. It is not known why he left the aircraft.

2Lt Walthall decided on an emergency landing on the closest island along their flight path, which was the German garrisoned island of Borkum. The crew survived largely unscathed and were captured by German sailors from the nearby 216th Naval Flak Battalion.

The seven crew members were ordered to march through the town of Borkum with their hands up. During this march, they were abused and assaulted by civilians. A German soldier, a private of the Wehrmacht, who had lost his family during an earlier raid on Hamburg, heard of the column of American airmen making its way through town. He was filled with rage and saw an opportunity to avenge the deaths of his wife and three children. He shot all seven airmen without intervention by the guards that accompanied the crew. After the war, the perpetrators of the executions were tried, found guilty, and convicted to death for their crimes. In the early 1950s, the sentences were commuted.

The seven murdered crew members were originally buried at the Borkum Lutheran Cemetery. 2Lt Walthall's final resting place is in the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.

Source of information: aircrewremembered.com, www.americanairmuseum.com