Memorial

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2nd Lt Walter F. Higgins Jr. attended St Joseph's College before he joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 25 May 1942.

The #4 box was made up of seven airplanes of the 816th Squadron. The entire enemy fighter strength made a concentrated attack on these seven airplanes. Three B-17s were shot to pieces while in level flight and while maintaining their positions in the formation. A fourth went down, apparently shot down out of control, and broke apart as soon as the plane went into a spin. The three remaining airplanes of the squadron drifted out of formation and appeared to be out of control, two of which were beginning to burn. A considerable number of enemy fighters were shot down by the gunners in these planes while the attack was being made, but the fighter fire power was overwhelming.

Due to this massive attack, the exact fate of each individual could not be determined.

For this airplane, only the engineer, Charles W. Erickson, survived the attack. The other nine crew members were killed