Memorial

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Sgt Emile G. Freeman joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in Birmingham, Alabama on 23 May 1942 and was sent overseas in June 1944.

2nd Lt Edward H. Davidson:
About four minutes after bombs away, altitude approximately 27,500 feet, aircraft B-17G, 44-8208, was hit by enemy aircraft fire, and a fire developed behind No. 3 engine. I heard the pilot tell his crew to bail out. Shortly after this three men came out, two through the waist door and one through the tail escape hatch. None of these three parachutes opened within my view. The aircraft then made a slow turn to the left and was under perfect control. The pilot waved but I did not see either the pilot or the co-pilot leave the cockpit.

Testimonies from the surviving crew members paint a tragic picture: shortly before the fateful moment, Freeman had returned to the burning radio room to grab his parachute. Some crew members believed he had managed to jump after them but that his parachute failed to open, while others suspected that he was never able to escape the aircraft in time due to the fierce fire.

He was first buried at the Temporary American Military Cemetery in Grand-Failly, France.