B-17 G-20-BO, Serial No.: 42-31552, Marking: H, Nik Name: "My Buddy" from the 8th Air Force, 457th Bomb Group, 748th Squadron took off from Glatton with the mission to bomb Munich. Anti-aircraft defenses gave the men from overseas a hot reception over Munich. "Flab so close you could get out and walk on it!" was an oft-used expression of the crews upon their return. With three losses, the "Fireball Outfit" was the most severely marked group. The Flying Fortresses "My Buddy" set down with flak damage over Munich toward Switzerland and smashed into the rocks in the Schlappintal.
Crew:
Pilot: 2nd Lt Gerald L. Kerr, KIA
Copilot: 2nd Lt, Arthur H. Lindskoog, KIA
Navigator: 2nd Lt Edward A. Schilling, KIA
Bombardier: 2nd Lt, Melvin L. Levine, KIA
Engineer: T/Sgt, Leon Finneran
Radio: T/Sgt, Ernest J. Hegedus, German Captivity
Right Waist: S/Sgt, Donald B. Boyle, German Captivity
Left Waist: S/Sgt, Harold E. Ahlfors, German Captivity
Tail Gunner: S/Sgt, Samuel P. Younger, Jr., German Captivity
The crash site 67 years after the crash.
