Memorial

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Sgt Kenneth S. Kingsland was killed when his B-24 crashed in a field adjacent to Floree, Belgium. He and his crew were returning from Mission 886, a bombing run to Guterslöh, Germany.
According to a testimony from navigator Seymour Eisenstat, the last survivor of the crew, they encountered no flak. Nonetheless, they lost an engine while in formation before the start of their bombing run. They lost a second engine soon after and it became clear that they would not make it back to England. Not wanting to parachute into German held territory, the crew headed for the Allied lines, Belgium. Seymour was sent into the nose of the aircraft to find a place to set down. The farmlands of eastern Belgium afforded that. They lost a third engine on short final. The roll out was smooth until they crested a small rise and hit a stone farmhouse which destroyed the aircraft. The top turret came down on the front end crew, killing Kenneth Kingsland and severely wounding Seymour. Pilot Hiechel, Co-Pilot Alexander and Radioman Turco were also wounded. The four gunners behind the bomb bay walked away. A salvage crew was working a B-17 crash nearby and were hailed by locals to the crash moments after impact. One of those men made the photos of the crash site.

He was the eldest of four children and the only son. Until he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, he worked at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Engine Manufactures in Hartford, Connecticut.

On 12 March 2016 a ceremony was held at the exact place of the crash and a memorial plaque was erected.