Memorial

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S/Sgt Stephen J. Fatur joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania on 22 January 1944. He attended high school for 2 years and was a sales clerk before he joined the army.

The mission took place on 22 March 1945.

Statement of Cpt Andrew F. Crane a crew member who survived:
"After the plane received direct hits, a heading of 100 degrees was established to make an emergency landing at a Russian air strip. Fighters attacked and eventually all crew members bailed out. It is believed that all crew members were fired upon while descending in their parachutes. I was fired upon twice by an enemy fighter. When I landed, I was strafed by a Me109. He missed me by 2 feet and a second time by 6 feet. He came over a third time but I managed to dive in a creek. I saw none of the boys from the moment I hit the ground. I then tried to reach a haystack. Spotted, I was fired upon three times. I threw up my hands and surrendered. Taken to quarters I was told the Russian lines were but 10 kilometers away. My co-pilot Paul Honke was brought in bleeding. He suffered four strafing attacks, two in the air and two on the ground."

Field investigations, conducted on 29 December 1947 and 20 September 1949, failed to locate the remains of the eight casualties or of the crash site. It was revealed that an identification tag belonging to crew member S/Sgt De Matteis was turned in to American authorities at Bremen by a German refugee. Attempts were made upon receipt of the identification tag to learn the whereabouts of the refugee whose address was unknown.

S/Sgt Fatur was officially declared dead one day and one year after he was reported missing in action.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced on 9 July 2025 that S/Sgt. Stephen J. Fatur has been accounted for.

Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command searched for and disinterred the remains of U.S. servicemen in Europe as part of the global effort to identify and recover fallen servicemen. However, the American Graves Registration Command investigations in the Soviet occupied zone of Europe, including Poland, were severely limited. Between 2019 and 2024, DPAA partnered with Alta Archaeological Consulting to plan and conduct five excavations at the site where Fatur’s aircraft crashed. During the excavations, teams led by Alta recovered possible remains, which were transferred to a DPAA Laboratory for further analysis. The laboratory analysis and total circumstantial evidence identified the remains as those of Fatur.

Funeral arrangements are pending (information added January 2026).