Memorial

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It was nr. 41-24589 ‘Texas Bronco’ of the 91st Bomb Group. The plane had been part of a group of 86 bomber aircrafts, that were set out for an attack in daylight on the German industrial city of Hamm in Nordrhein-Westfalen.
The group had left at 09.07 h. from a British airfield. The bombardment should take place at about 11.45 h. They flew over the island of Vlieland, over Workum and the south east part of the province of Drenthe to Germany. Through a coded message from England the commendants heard that the target area was overcasted totally, so they decided to attack a secondairy target, the harbourcity of Emden.
At about 12.30h. the 41-24589 was gone from the formation. This aircraft was flown by captain Eugene B. Ellis. After the attack on Germany, it had been damaged a bit. One of the engines was hit and gone crazy and one wing was torn apart. This was the cause for the plane to get behind with the formation.
The plane was spotted by five German Messerschmidts and they started to attack it. Ellis made the plane go down a bit into the clouds, but immediately there was ice on the plane, causing a delay in the speed. The captain decided to fly as low as possible underneath the clouds and try to get to England. The five German planes did the same thing, however, and attacked again.
From the American plane, two of the German planes were shut down. Again two engines were hit. Ellis decided to do an emergency landing on the first island in sight, which happened to be Terschelling. Meanwhile the three remaining German planes kept firing and killed bomber lieutenant Marvin H. Beisiker and radio man sergeant Michael LaMedica got fatally wounded.
The landing was a success, but when the survivors tried to get the dead and the wounded man out of the burning plane, they were surrounded by German soldiers. The remaining eight crewmembers of the ‘Texas Bronco’ became prisoners of war.

S/Sgt Michael T. La Medica was sent by ferry to the mainland and became POW. La Medica died in a hospital in Leeuwarden.