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Personal info

Full name
BOYD, Earl H
Date of birth
3 July 1923
Age
21
Place of birth
Warner, Muskogee County, Oklahoma
Hometown
Norman, Cleveland County, Oklahoma

Military service

Service number
O-2062431
Rank
Second Lieutenant
Function
Co-Pilot
Unit
366th Bombardment Squadron,
305th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
unknown

Death

Status
Missing in Action
Date of death
17 April 1945
Place of death
In the vicinity of Biensdorf, Germany

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Henri-Chapelle
Tablets of the Missing

Immediate family

Members
Reuben E. Boyd (father)
Lola C. Boyd (mother)
Carolyn E. Boyd (wife)

Plane data

Serial number
43-38085
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: Towering Titan
Destination: Dresden, Germany
Mission: Bombing of railroads and marshalling yards
MACR: 14172

More information

Flak was moderate accurate and a few enemy jet aircraft were in the vicinity. One jet aircraft made a pass at the formation and rammed the subject B-17, tearing off the outer panel of the left wing. The aircraft blew up after collision and it went down in a gradual dive going out of sight into the high clouds through which the formation was flying. It is not known whether ramming was intentional or not. The aircraft was under control until it started into a gradual dive.

The entire crew of eight was killed.

In December 1955 an investigation group of three Americans, escorted by Russian officers, proceeded to the area of Freiberg. After questioning inhabitants of Freiberg and other villagers, no proof could be found that this aircraft did crash in this area. Therefore the exact location of the crash remains unknown.

Seven crew members are still missing. Only the remains of T.Sgt Walter A. McClellan, who is permanently remembered on the Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle, were found in 2008.

Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Astrid van Erp, www.usaafdata.com, www.fold3.com - MACR, IDPF

Photo source: Astrid van Erp