Memorial

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Howard Landahl was sent overseas in February 1944.

He was on his 29th mission when shot down.

Witness statement:
'We got hit about 10 a.m. I remember that we were getting hit by flak all the way on the bomb run. I had my flak suit over all my body. When the bombardier said bombs away, I looked up at my window, and it was all shattered – and that was enough for me. I said, 'Let's get the hell outa here!' – and that's when we got the first direct hit. It knocked me over, and when I started to get up, we were hit again. That is what I thought at first, but instead, it was when we crashed into Wescott's plane, My Everlovin' Gal. I was knocked out for a few moments and when I came to again, all I could see was open space where the bomb bay had been! Luckily, I had a back-type chute on. The next thing I did was to dive out where the bomb bay used to be. Our two waist gunners bailed out on the bomb run, just before we got hit. Both the pilot and co-pilot were blown out after the collision. The radio operator and bombardier had jumped out of the bomb bay just after the direct hit and before the collision. Lt Conzoner, Walter Yount and I were captured about two hours after we hit the ground. Also captured were Lt Smith, co-pilot, and our two waist gunners, Jack Davis and Coleman Underwood. Lt Landahl, after being blown out, parachuted to the ground safely, but was so seriously wounded that he died about an hour after being captured. So after 27 missions and five diversions, the war had ended for us. They took us to a central gathering place where my co-pilot Smith and Aircraft Commander Howard Landahl were both alive. However, Landahl was mortally wounded in his upper right thigh to lower abdomen, which was fairly wide open and he was in shock. Smith was totally unharmed, but was in a daze from shock. I did what I could for Landahl, but he died in my arms about 20 minutes later. "By that time, they had rounded up Coleman, so five survived and one was dead and four were missing at the time. The Wehrmacht arrived and put Howie in a cart and marched us about three miles to a village. There we were dispatched to the interrogation camp at Frankfurt. I supposed that they buried Howie in the area."

Landahl was seriously wounded and died about an hour after being captured. He was buried at Schermen Community Cemetery.