Memorial

More information

1st Lt George N. Stith graduated from Lebanon High School, Missouri in 1937.

He joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in Omaha, Nebraska on 20 June 1942 and was sent overseas in June 1943.

The airplane was hit by flak in the vicinity of Bitburg, Germany. It took damage to the right engine, resulting in a massive fire which forced crew members to bail out.

The following statement is from 2nd Lt Ellis D. Sutier Jr, who was the bombarbier and survived the mission: "I was bombardier in ship 42-96309, flying in position number four. The ship was hit by flak. Three men had left the ship, when the pilot lost control of the ship and it was beginning to spin when I left the ship. I left the ship by the forward bomb bay. After my parachute opened I was especially alert for others to leave the ship but none did. I saw the ship explode. I did not investigate the crash as I had landed about three miles from the crash. There was definitely no chance for anyone else to leave the ship."

Four crew members survived and were taken prisoner, three men were killed.

Surviving crew members watched it crash near Winville with several men still onboard.

A few days after the crash, several Belgian residents recovered one set of remains from the crash site and turned them over to American forces operating in the area. American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel initially identified the pilot, while the other set of remains remained Unknown.

Lt Stith was first buried at the Temporary American Military Cemetery of Grand Failly, France.