Memorial

More information

S/Sgt. Joseph A. Rekas he worked at the Warwick Mills. He joined the Regular Army in 1938 and served in several military locations including Panama. He was discharged in 1941. He reenlisted on 27 March 1942.

The airplane made it through the flak over the target without being hit. On the way out to the coast it was attacked by fighters inflicting heavy damage on the aircraft. Still, it remained in formation. At 1326 hours, as the aircraft passed 3 miles east of Emden, it took direct flak hits that knocked out the No. 3 engine and set the No. 4 engine afire. The pilot, Lt Lindsey, feathered the No. 3 engine. Almost immediately afterwards another anti-aircraft shell burst into the cockpit killing both Lt Lindsey and the copilot, 2nd Lt George Slivkoff. More flak hits smashed into the aircraft and it began slowly circling downward in the direction of Norden and the North Sea.
The bombardier, 2nd Lt Albert Dobsa, was hit in the stomach by one of the flak bursts. The navigator, 2nd Lt Rocco J. Maiorca, was uninjured. Lt Dobsa, sensing the plane was out of control, went up into the cockpit to see what was wrong. There he saw both pilots dead in their seats. He looked back into the fuselage and saw crewmen lying on the floor, also apparently dead. Lt Dobsa knew it was time to bail out and went back down into the nose. Lt Maiorca was standing above the nose hatch, hesitating to jump. Lt Dobsa simply pushed him out the hatch and dropped through after him. Lt Dobsa came down in the shallow water on the Frisian Islands beach where he was captured immediately by German troops. Lt Maiorca drifted about a mile out to the sea off the Frisian Islands from where he swam ashore. He was in the water three hours and was taken captive by German troops upon reaching the shore.

The airplane ditched north of the Isle of Norderney. Eight crew members didn't survive and are all remembered at the Walls of the Missing at Margraten.

On one picture he poses with his brothers: from left to right, Edwin, Joseph, John, Stanley.