Byron R. Hughes Jr. was born on October 10, 1919, in Roxtin, Texas. He was the son of Byron Rhodell Hughes and Cora Inus "Inez" Reeder Hughes. He was married to Edith Crysteel Springer Smith and later to Evelyn Rae Hubbard Hughes. He served in the 601st Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Navigator in B-17G #43-37889 nicknamed ''Black Widow” during World War II.

On January 20, 1945, the B-17G “Black Widow” departed Nuthampstead, England, for a mission into the Rhine valley. The day’s target was the bridge between Mannheim and Ludwigshafen, an important industrial and transportation link across the Rhine. The aircraft was hit by heavy flak before reaching the target, but remained steady long enough to release its bombs. Afterward, the bomber caught fire, fell out of formation, and came under attack from a German fighter before crashing near Mechtersheim in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. Out of the nine crew members, two were killed in action, while the other seven parachuted to safety but were captured and spent the rest of the war as prisoners.

2Lt Hughes was captured and imprisoned in Germany. He died on May 6, 1997, and is now buried in the Hickory Grove Cemetery, Petty, Lamar County, Texas, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.ig-heimatforschung.de