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S/Sgt Charles B. Mc Lean enlisted on 6 May 1942 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Eye witness Description (1) of missing Aircraft B17G 42-102476, Pilot, 1st Lt Raymond J. Gallagher, 0-730098, 603rd Bomb Squadron, 398th Bomb Group on Combat Mission to Munich, Germany 16 July 1944. From Garfield L. Berwick S Sgt 39568034 RWG B17G 42-107078.
" About forty minutes after bombs away we were flying number three position in the squadron Lt Gallagher's ship was number five in. As I saw a fighter make two attacks coming in at six o'clock close on to Lt Gallagher's ship. Then the pursuit went into a spin. The ball turret gunner on Lt Gallagher's ship was then hanging out of the ball, evidently dead, because he never left the ship. Three chutes came from the waist door and two chutes came from the nose escape hatch. His ship then eressed to the left behind us and I lost sight of it. Then I heard our tail gunner say that a total of seven chutes had come from the ship, although five was all that I saw."

Eye witness description (2) from George E. Lynn T/Sgt 15334563 Top Turret Gunner B-17G 42-107337.
" Over target the weather was very bad, caused from contrails. After leaving target visibility cleared up. About forty minutes out from the target and ME-109 came from about twelve o'clock high and swept over the formation. Ther were quite a few bursts of twenty MM shells bursting. Then from about five o'clock from out tail was three ME-109's. The first one came up and fired. That was when I saw Lt Gallagher's ship get hit. I noticed a hole in the left wing and a small fire. The ball gunner's door was blown off. Then I was busy helping shoot down the other two fighters attacking us for about a minute. Then I saw Lt Gallagher's ship again gradually drift to the right of our ship and the men started to bail out. I saw four men bail out at this point. Then his ship drifted over to the left rear of us and I lost sight of him."

Eye witness Description (3) from Emil R. Anderson S/Sgt 13118923 Ball Turret Gunner B17G 42-97337.

" I was flying ball turret gunner on Lt Stoll's ship. Lt Gallagher was flying right wing on Lt Stoll'. As our group came out of the clouds the two ships (Lt Stooll and Lt Gallagher) were straggling about three to five hundred yards behind the main group. Just after coming out of the clouds the two ships that were straggling were jumped by three fighters (ME-109's). The first pass made by the fighters hit the ball turret gunner and portions of the left wing of Lt Gallagher's ship with twenty MM cannon fire. The result of this sweep by the enemy fighters was: the ball turret gunner was killed and a small fire broke out in the left wing. Lt Stoll called Lt Gallagher and told him of a fire on the underside of his left wing. Immediately after this I saw four men bail out, the second of wich did not open his parachute as far as the cloud level below us. Lt Gallagher's ship then dropped below and behind and then I saw four more men bail out. Our tail gunner called over the interphone that he had seen eight men bail out The ball turret man on Lt Gallagher's ship was obviously killed. His turret was blown open."

Note: Staff Sergeant Robert C. Warkentin (ball turret gunner) and Staff Sergeant Charles B. McLean where killed immediately due the enemy Fighters attack and went down with the B-17 and crashed in the woods of Blauloch, Schenkenzeller/Heubachtal, Germany.

S/Sgt Charles B. Mc Lean was previously buried in the St. Roman Civil Cemetery.