Memorial

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Herald R. Boyd worked on a farm before he joined the Air Corps of the Regular Army at Fort Sam Houston, Texas on 27 November 1941.

The airplane was hit by flak on the right wing, reported to have been a ground rocket, just after bombs away. Starboard engines began to flame and the plane was nosed over in a steep dive apparently in an effort to extinguish the fire. A few seconds later, it pulled up in a half roll, then did a split S and went down. Two parachutes were seen as it fell away in a tight spin. When last seen the plane was nearly enveloped in fire.

Seven crew members were killed. They were initially buried at the POW Cemetery of Dallgow-Döbertiz, near Berlin. Only two men bailed out and became POW. They survived the war.

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.

Between then and 1956, six of the seven missing crew members were identified. It was believed that Boyd was associated with a set of remains designated Unknown X-4804 Neuville, but this could not be conclusively proven, and X-4804 was buried at Ardennes American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission cemetery in Belgium, in 1957.

DPAA historians are conducting ongoing, comprehensive research focused on air losses over Germany. As a result, they determined X-4804 to be a strong candidate for association with Boyd. The remains were disinterred in June 2018 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for examination and identification.

To identify Boyd’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced on 13 July 2022 that Sgt. Herald R. Boyd was accounted for on 8 July 2022. further information will follow (information added July 2022)

Boyd’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Margraten American Cemetery. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Sgt Boyd has been given his final resting place on 12 September 2022 at Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery in Corpus Christi, Texas.