Memorial

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The plane was flying as leader of the group.

Statement of 2nd Lt. Merlin M. Goldberg:
"I was flying as pilot in no. 2 position of the 4th element, and at about ten seconds after bombs away I observed an explosion of a direct flak hit in the waist section of aircraft B-17G 42-97632. At this time I also saw what appeared to be a secondary explosion in the interior of the aircraft as fire shot out of the nose. The aircraft disintegrated from about the horizontal stabilizer to the trailing edge of the wing. The tail section floated back through the formation and the forward section nosed downward. No flames or smoke were visable. I saw no crew members leave the aircraft or parachutes open."

The entire crew was killed. The remains were taken to the Reserve Hospital 101, Olympia Village at Döberitz. They were initially buried at the POW Cemetery at Elsgrund-Döbertiz.

In June 1951 an investigation was conducted to find several American deceased at the grounds where the POW Cemetery of Döbertiz was situated. The former caretaker, however, stated that the Americans exhumed their remains in 1947, in 1948 the French and in 1949 the Italians, Germans and Russians completely exhumed the cemetery. This was done systematically, field by field, row by row. In late 1949 the former cemetery site was returned to its German owner. In 1951 it was planted with potatoes. The conclusion of the investigation was that when the cemetery finally was disinterred all remains left, were evacuated to Russian or German Honor cemeteries and buried in unmarked graves.