Loy A. Dickinson was born on December 12, 1924, in Oakland, Alameda County, California. He was the son of Lee and Pearl (MacNeil) Dickinson. He was married to Karol Shupe. He attended Berkeley High School and the University of California, Berkeley before enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1943. He served in the 20th Bombardment Squadron, 2nd Bomber Group, as a Second Lieutenant and Navigator of B-17G #42-97159 nicknamed “Tail End Charlie” during World War II.

On August 29, 1944, the 15th Air Force launched Mission 263, a major raid against the Moravská Ostrava industrial complex in German-occupied Czechoslovakia. Flying from Amendola Air Base in Foggia, Italy, the 2nd Bomb Group took part in what became known as the Air Battle over the White Carpathians. During the attack, the formation was ambushed by nearly 90 German fighters, resulting in one of the group’s worst losses of the war. Within twenty minutes, eight of the nine B-17s from the 20th Bomb Squadron were shot down, crashing across Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. One of these aircraft was B-17G “Tail End Charlie” (42-97159), flying in the rear position of the formation where attacks were heaviest. After sustaining severe damage, the bomber fell from formation and crashed near Bojkovice or in the Přečkovice Woods in the Zlín region of Moravia. Two crewmen were killed, six were captured, and two evaded capture.

Dickinson successfully parachuted to safety, landing in a Czech farmer’s field. The farmer sheltered him at great personal risk for about a month, until Dickinson voluntarily surrendered to protect the family from German retaliation. He spent over 10 months as a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft 1, Barth-Vogelsang, Prussia, until his liberation in 1945. After the war, Dickinson returned to California and later settled in Colorado, where he built a respected professional and civic life. A long-time member of Rotary International, he served as President (1986–1987) and later District Governor (1993–1994) for the University Hills Rotary Club in Denver. He died on July 23, 2018, and is now buried in the Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, City and County of Denver, Colorado, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, https://portal.clubrunner.ca