Memorial

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Sgt William L. Beggs worked in a machine shop.

He volunteered for the Air Corps of the Army of the United States in Buffalo, New York on 20 October 1942.

The airplane with number 42-51098 was hit by flak and went down over the target. On its way down, it knocked the wing off airplane 42-52447. Both ships went down and two to five parachutes were seen, but it is not sure from which airplane the parachutes were.

Eight crew members were killed and were buried in a mass-grave at Mosigkau, together with casualties of other crashed planes, according to German records. An investigation in October 1946 revealed that between August and September 1944, four American planes crashed in the area. In some cases bodies were buried near the crashed plane, another time they were buried in mass-graves. Some of the remains could be identified at that time, others couldn't.

Also, proper investigation was not possible due to political restrictions, because the area was in Russian occupied territory.

One crew member was taken prisoner.

In December 1948, the remains of an unknown soldier, registered as X-656 was examined, and at first it was presumed that it was Sgt Beggs. Due to unfavorable comparison of tooth charts, this could not be determined.