Beatty Hubert Franklin, Sr.

Name:

Hubert Franklin, Sr. Beatty

Rank:

First Lieutenant

Serial Number:

O-826646

Unit:

600th Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomber Group, Heavy

Date of Death:

1945-02-22

State:

Virginia

Cemetery:

Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial, Neuville-en-Condroz, Arrondissement de Ličge, Ličge, Belgium

Plot:

D

Row:

26

Grave:

14

Decoration:

Air Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart

Comments:

Hubert Franklin Beatty Sr. was born on July 8, 1919, in Rockbridge County, Virginia. He was the son of John William Beatty and Maggie N. Fix Beatty. He was married to Virginia Mae Wade Beatty Feinman. He served in the 600th Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a First Lieutenant and Pilot of B-17 #43-39128 nicknamed "Beatty's 8-Balls" during World War II.

On February 22, 1945, during a mission targeting the marshaling yards in Wittenberg, Germany, Beatty’s 8-Balls was attacked by German jet fighters, likely Messerschmitt Me 262s. The aircraft sustained critical damage to its No. 1 and No. 2 engines, leading to its crash near Altendorf, northeast of Brunswick, Germany. Of the ten crew members aboard Beatty’s 8-Balls, four perished—three in the crash and one later while in captivity—while the remaining six survived and were taken as prisoners of war.

1Lt Beatty was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial, Neuville-en-Condroz, Arrondissement de Ličge, Ličge, Belgium. Hubert F. Beatty's name is inscribed on the Anstey Window Memorial in Panel 2 (center), on Butterfly 18, in the top right wing (section B).

Source of information: B-17flyingfortress.de, www.americanairmuseum.com, www.398th.org