Memorial

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2nd Lt Richard G. Martin attended Syracuse University and was employed as a machinist.

He enlisted on 16 January 1942 at New York City, New York.

A/C first started to get into trouble over Mayen, Germany, before ever reaching the ball-bearing factories at Schweinfurt. German Me 109's and Fw 190's which passed literally within feet of the bombers as they rolled past them. The fighters pumped a continuous stream of shells into A/C, raking the ship from left to right as they passed and rolled away at the last second. One German fighter in the middle of the attacking group found its mark. Gunfire hit and destroyed the number 2 engine, ran across the inboard wing setting it afire, and then hammered into the flight deck.

Both pilot Everett Kenner and Co-Pilot George Bryan were killed instantly. Crewmember Egender crawled his way back to the nose and snapped his parachute onto his harness. Navigator Richard Martin was stunned but unhurt. Egender motioned to Martin to follow him as he crawled back to the escape hatch under the B-17's nose. He opened the hatch, motioned one last time for Martin to follow him, and then baled out. That was the last he saw of Martin.

Some sources say Martin made it out but that his chute failed to open. According to Martin Middlebrook, author of "The Schweinfurt/Regensburg Mission," Martin landed safely but was killed on the ground by a mob of angry German civilians who tracked his parachute as he fell.