Samuel Lewis “Sam” Peak was born on May 5, 1917, in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas. He was the son of Samuel Lee Payne and Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Burns Payne Peak. He was married to Juanita Prince Tarver Epplett. He served in the 534th Bomber Squadron, 381st Bomb Group, Heavy, as a First Lieutenant and Pilot of the B-17 #42-97084 nicknamed ''Spare Charlie'' during World War II.
On June 22, 1944, the B-17 Flying Fortress "Spare Charlie" was shot down while on a bombing mission between Tingry (Pas-de-Calais) and Abbeville (Somme), France. The aircraft took off from Station 167 in Ridgewell, Essex, UK, and was hit by German anti-aircraft fire over the target area. The flak strike damaged two engines and set the wing ablaze. At 19:08, just moments before the aircraft broke apart and crashed, the waist gunner was the only crew member able to bail out. The B-17 disintegrated in mid-air and went down near Épagnette, France. The rest of the crew perished in the crash.
1Lt Peak was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Colleville-sur-Mer, Departement du Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France.
Source of information: francecrashes39-45.net/