Memorial

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Statement from 1st Lt. Glenn C. Gladfelder:
"Lt. Gladfelder was radar operator on B-17 plane with mission to bomb Darmstadt, Germany on 24 December 1944. Target time was about 1300 hours. On the way in to the target when they were approximately over the city of St. Vith, Belgium, the plane was hit by antiaircraft fire and the controls of the plane were severely damaged. Altitude at this time was approximately 23,000 feet. One burst of flak came through the plane and Lt. Gladfelder believes that this burst hit the radio operator. Since Lt. Gladfelder was flying as a substitute with that crew he did not know the names of the enlisted men of the crew, but this radio operator was obviously Sgt. Sullivan. He saw the radio operator slum over on his table apparently in an unconscious state. Just at that time the plane went into a rather tight spin and Lt. Gladfelder was plastered against the side due to centrifugal force. He estimates that the plane fell about 8,000 feet. At this time Lt. Gladfelder was suffering from lack of oxygen and his memory of events is hazy. At what he estimates as about 15,000 feet the plane apparently exploded and he left the plane through a hole near him caused by the explosion. As he descended he counted four other chutes in the air. He also saw parts of the plane in the air. Lt. Gladfelder landed near St. Vith but he is unable to determine the direction or distance from that city. He was captured immediately and taken to a C.P. of SS troops about one mile from where he landed. There he was joined by 1st Lt. Buell E. Hoaglund, navigator, 2nd Lt. Russell D. Haas, radar navigator, and 2nd Lt. John R. Salyer, bombardier. These three crew members knew nothing of what had happened to other members of the crew. The last contact with 1st Lt. Kenworthy was when he called the bombardier to set up auto-pilot. The nose of the ship blew off seconds later which ended the contact. The ship was in a flat spin at last conversation from pilot. Centrifugal force would make extraction from pilots seat extremely difficult."