Memorial

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S/Sgt Walker enlisted at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia on 9 October 1941 and was overseas since 15 January 1943.

The mission took place on 3 February 1944.

The aircraft was hit by flak and crashed on a sandbank, names Ruteplate, between Bensersiel and Langeoog Isle, Germany.

Seven crew members survived and were taken prisoner, three men were killed.

S/Sgt Walker was one of the surviving crew members and was sent to Stalag Luft I.

The following is an eye witness account of T/Sgt Edgar A. Jurist, who escaped from the prison camp, together with S/Sgt Walker: "On April 27th, 1944, T/Sgt George Walker and myself escaped from the American prisoner lager by means known only to the escape committee and ourselves. We were equipped with a crude set of wire cutters, detail maps and a small supply of food and cigarettes. We made our way out of the American lager, through the British lager and Canadian lager and reached the Vorlager.

Upon reaching the Vorlager we hid behind some empty boxes stacked against the Red Cross shack and waited for night...

At approximately 11:00 P.M. we altered plans somewhat, in hat I was to lead the way instead of Walker, with Walker following closely behind. We crawled out slowly on our stomachs and inched our way directly ahead parallel with the fence until we reached a spot where the stationary lights cast a sort of window. It seemed that the guards had been doubled. They were not walking according to the manner in which we had them timed. The searchlights from the watch tower picked us up several times, but we froze each time and they passed over us. We decided to change our plans and try another route.

We inched our way back to the boxes, waited a while and then started out on a wider angle away from the fence. Progress was very slow due to the passing of the guards outside the fence and the frequency with which the searchlights swung about. It was approximately 2:30 A.M. when he had finally edged our way to within 5 feet of a deep ditch which bordered the inside perimeter of the fence. By then we had no more grass covering to hide ourselves. I had to scoop sand away from in front of me, pile it up slightly on both sides and ten drag myself forward. Walker was doing the same thing directly behind me.

Suddenly a passing guard stopped, peered through the fence towards us but didn't seem sure of what he saw. We had frozen to the ground. The guard walked a few steps more, turned back again, then resumed his course. Finally he hesitated, walked back to the spot he had first suspected something in and peered for about one minute in our direction. A searchlight passed over us and apparently he finally made out our ... lying on the ground.

He began yelling aloud in German. Searchlights began sweeping over the ground trying to pick us up. Guards started running out of the barracks. I whispered back to Walker that the jig was up. It was no use. We rose to our knees and were spotted by the lights. The guard who had discovered us raised his gun and fired. We ducked and rose again with our hands up. The guard fired again and we hit the deck. Neither of us had been hit yet. Walker started burying the wire cutter and I started tearing up the maps. By then the whole camp was in an uproar. Finally the main gates opened and we saw two dog guards with their dogs unleashed running through the gate towards us. I told Walker to play dead and not move. He sank on my legs and I dug my face half into the sand.

The two dogs reached us first and started tearing at our bodies. A moment later the two guards came running up. We were still playing dead. I had my face partly turned to the guards. The guards came up and started kicking both of us. I felt Walker stand up and heard him pleading not to shoot. I couldn't see hum but could see one of the guards with a shiny pistol in his hand. The dogs were still jumping around and growling. I heard and saw one of the guards shoot. For a moment I thought he was shooting a the dogs because they seemed to have gone crazy. Then I heard a groan and felt Walker topple over on my legs, groaning. I don't know what made me lie still but I thought it would be better if I did. I thought also that Walker had been injured but not killed.

By that time about a dozen more guards had arrived and were all talking excitedly. I heard a man say 'Don't shoot', in English. Later I found out that he was the German interpreter. The guard who killed Walker came up and kicked me as I lay on the ground. I thought it was safe to stand up then and did. When I did, the guards looked as though they had seen a ghost. I believe they thought I had been killed by the shots from the outside of the fence...

Walker remained on the ground where he had been shot until 7:00 A.M. the next morning. Walker was sewed up in a blanket and buried soon after."

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced on 27 June 2022 that S/Sgt. George B. Walker was accounted for. Further details will follow (information added August 2022).