Memorial

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Sgt Bradford Conley was a waiter before he joined the Regular Army in Charlotte, North Carolina on 27 July 1940.

He was the commander of a M8 Greyhound reconnaissance car. On 11 September the M8 Greyhound came under fire from a German Tiger tank in the town of Baelen, Belgium. The M8 exploded from a direct hit.

Record of events from 11-12 September 1944: finished reconnaissance of roads and woods, adjoining roads east of Eupen.
On 11 September 1944 the town of Verviers was liberated, and the B Co. 83 Recon. Battalion received the order to bypass the center of Verviers.
They bypassed Verviers and went in the direction of Andrimont, Bilstain, Dolhain, Goé, and also Bethane to protect and take the dam. Around 8.30, they were in Andrimont. When the dam was secured, they received a new assignment to go to Baelen-Membach and also to Eupen and Rötgen (Germany).
Around 12.45 pm, the B Com 83 Rec.Bat. entered the village of Membach-Baelen which was occupied by German soldiers from the 105 Panzer Brigade.
September 11, 1944 was a very sunny day.
The Americans entered the village by taking the street "Les Fusillés". Here the first Sherman tank stopped, the second vehicle was a jeep and the third vehicle was the M8 tank of Harry Kested and Bradford Conley. The first two vehicles were protected by houses or banks. A sergeant and two soldiers walked to the crossroad in order to see if it was clear. The inhabitants of the village came out of their houses to applaud the liberators.
A young boy (Willi Erkens) of the village (14 years old) showed a German soldier who was looking for where the communications cable was cut.

At that moment, one GI shot the German soldier and he was wounded.
A German tiger tank shot at the Sherman tank, but the Sherman tank was protected. The Sherman returned fire, but he missed the German Tiger tank.
At this time the German Tiger moved to a better place to shoot at the American column. The section Sergeant and tank commander Bradford S. Conley stood talking with the members from the Willys Jeep who were in front of the M-8 tank ""Greyhound" and protected from the German Tiger's sight by a house. The M-8 tank of Conley and Kested was hit by a shot from the German tiger and immediately exploded. They died as a result of shrapnel. Sgt Conley was on the turret of the tank and Harry Kested was the second pilot and radio operator. The tank was hit on the rear left side of the vehicle. There was no way to help the members of this tank who burned. Only the driver of the tank jumped out of the Greyhound, but we have no idea about his name or identity.
The smoke from the burning Greyhound reached over 30 meters high. 16 P-47 Thunderbolts of the Army Air Forces who were in the area to provide air support saw the smoke and began to attack the area. For 10 minutes they fired on the German vehicles. The German tiger tank and the other vehicles were disabled. The Germans fled the area, and Baelen-Membach was liberated. On 11 September 1944, two US soldiers died for the freedom of our village and they were members of the B Co. 83rd Recon.Bat. - 3 Armored Division.
The American tank column moved then to the north and east, to Eupen and then Rötgen (Germany). Rötgen was liberated on 12 September 1944. The place where Kested and Conley died, was only 0,5 miles from the German border (Eupen) in 1944.
In 1947 or 1948 the people of the village from Baelen erected a monument in memory of the two American soldiers who died four our freedom.

From the letter of Commendation for the Silver Star:
For gallantry in action in France on 1 August 1944. When the advance of his company was held up by a road block, Sergeant Conley led his men around the block and deep into enemy territory in order to learn the disposition and strength of the enemy unit. This act was performed under heavy enemy mortar and machine gun fire and materially aided the task force in reaching its objective in minimum time. His personal bravery, loyalty, and determination was an inspiration to his men and reflects the highest credit upon himself and the Armed Forces.