Memorial

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2nd Lt Carl S. Goodman graduated from Mount Pleasant High School at age 16 and was Salutatorian of his class.

He had been overseas for five weeks and was stationed in Italy.

Statement from Capt George B. Sweeney, Investigation Officer.
"This Group was heavily attacked by E/A from 1041 to 1100 hours. From 50/70 enemy aircraft took part, coming in aggresively to as close as twenty yards from three to nine o´clock, concentrating on the rear squadron. Because of fighters also attacking other squadrons in Group, careful interrogation throughout the returned crews showed that attention was so engrossed, each in meeting their own attackers, that coherent accounts as to specific detail of just how any one or more of the planes in this squadron were lost in unobtainable.

However, after careful interrogation and subsequent evaluation and synthesis of reports, it was ascertained that the formation of this squadron was first dispersed by action of waves of eney fighters (ME-109´s and FW-190´s in V-formation, ten to each formation). Then, groups of four or five enemy aircraft attacked single B-17´s of the squadron.

This action was observed to occur between coordinates of 49 deg 05 min North, 17 deg 55 min East to 49 deg 36 min North, 18 deg 01 min East and between hours of 1041 to 1100 from an altitude of 23,000 to 26,000 feet. The fourth squadron at this time was approximately 1,000 to 2,000 feet and 500 to 2,000 yards behind Group formation.

Two aircraft of the fourth squadron were observed to go down in flames; observation of what happened to other aircraft was not possible as Group continued, minus last squadron, to target. The largets number of chutes observed in the area of enemy attacks was three."
2nd Lt Thayne L. Thomas, pilot of aircraft 42-38096, Big Time, was the only survivor of his crew. The airplane was hit over Sanov at an altitude of about 19,500. It burst into flames, exploded and parts of the disintegrated airplane fell over a wide area. Some of it was still burning the next day.

Co-pilot 2nd Lt Carl S. Goodman´s body was found in part of the wreckage. Tail gunner Sgt Dudley E. Standridge perished in a portion of the tail found a mile away. Three crewmen either parachuted or were blown from the plane. The parachute of one was on fire and he was killed on impact. Another was dead before impact, the apparent victim of machine gun fire. The Germans collected the remains of the nine victims and they were buried at Slavicin.