Memorial

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1st Lt James F. Purdy, Jr graduated from Seton Prep School in Orange, New Jersey.

He received his basic training at Cochran field, Georgia and at subsequent airfields in Nashville, Tennessee, Decatur, Alabama, and Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. He received his wings and commission at Seymour, Indiana. He arrived in England on 3 February 1944.

The aircraft was over the target area, at bombs away. A burst of flak hit the right wing, outing out a big section and setting the wing on fire. The plane peeled out of formation and one parachute came out. The plane went into a spin and after dropping about 1,000 feet it exploded with a full bomb load. After the explosion three parachutes were seen floating down. Five crew members were taken prisoner, five were killed.

The deceased men were initially buried at the POW Cemetery of Elsgrund-Döbertiz. In June 1951 an investigation was conducted to find several American deceased at the grounds where the POW Cemetery of Döbertiz was situated. The former caretaker, however, stated that the Americans exhumed their remains in 1947, in 1948 the French and in 1949 the Italians, Germans and Russians completely exhumed the cemetery. This was done systematically, field by field, row by row. In late 1949 the former cemetery site was returned to its German owner. In 1951 it was planted with potatoes. The conclusion of the investigation was that when the cemetery finally was disinterred all remains left, were evacuated to Russian or German Honor cemeteries and buried in unmarked graves.

This must have been the most damaged aircraft during the entire war. It is estimated that it must have taken over a hundred hits of flak. The images (see link) clearly show that the entire airplane is riddle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYSNbwXGvjA