Memorial

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S/Sgt Joseph T. Elie attended high school for four years and was a salesman.

He volunteered for the Air Corps of the Army of the United States in Portland, Maine on 27 December 1941.

Sgt Craig M. Bennet, tail gunner and only surviver testified:
"On our way to the target, over Wienbulla, Germany, we were attacked by ME-262's. On their first pass we became separated from the pilots evidently lost control of the ME-262 and collided with our plane. The resulting collision exploded both aircraft immediately. I was in the tail-gunner position of the ship and the tail section was blown off intact, all else was debris. I saw these three pieces of the ship hit the ground, but I did not see any other parachutes open. This is the last I have seen or heard of the remainder of the crew. Upon landing I asked all Germans I encountered, both civilian and military, how many parachutes came out. All replied they had seen only one chute. The remainder of my crew were never heard of at any of the POW camps I went through. A report which I later received from a friend of mine, who was on another ship, was to the effect that they witnessed no parachutes opening at all. The action was over so quickly that it is my opinion none of the remainder of the crew survived."

The other eight crew members were killed.