Memorial

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T/Sgt Martin A. Barr enlisted in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on 12 August 1942.

His daughters were twins and were born on 29 May 1944, ten days after their father was killed.

The 401st furnished the lead and high box of the 94th Combat Wing. The original target was Berlin, but either heavy cloud cover or failure to rendezvous with fighter escort (the accounts differ) resulted in bombing the secondary target, the port area of Kiel. Bombing was done by PFF (radar), but through breaks in the clouds bomb bursts were observed in the industrial section along the Kiel Canal. No enemy aircraft were sighted. Flak, while meager, was unusually accurate. The plane was hit and exploded in midair, killing 9 crew members. 1 crew member was taken prisoner.

The remains of the killed crew members were buried at the garrison military cemetery of Kiel on 25 May 1944.

On 20 May 1946 a body was interred at this cemetery and marked as Unknown X-544. A partial identification was established that indicated that these remains were S/Sgt James A. Stone, one of the other crew members. The remains were evacuated to Ardennes and after investigation identified as those of T/Sgt Barr.

Sgt Barr was then buried at Ardennes on 25 May 1946 and disinterred on 28 November 1948. His remains were prepared and placed in a casket on 9 December 1948. He was given his final resting place on 1 April 1949.