A work trip gave me a chance to find this touching memorial .
On May 10th 1945 Just 2 days after VE day over the town of Braintree, Essex a flight of B-17G’s of the 379th Bomb group based at RAF Kimbolton, Cambridge were heading on an observation trip over Germany to show crews and base personnel bomb damage inflicted on cities.
Flying in close formation 44-8198 and 44-8813 were at 1200ft, 44-8198 got caught in the unseen danger of turbulence from another aircraft ahead, causing the plane to veer and collide with
44-8813. 8813’s props tore into its fellow B-17 shearing off 8198’s tail but luckily the pilot of 8813 managed to keep control and limp back to base where it landed safely but damaged. Mortally wounded 8198 fell in two parts, the tail section hit ground near Woolpack Lane, Braintree and the main section impacted a market garden close to the monastery near Bradford Street, Bocking, sadly all 11 souls on board were lost.
garden close to the monastery near Bradford Street, Bocking, sadly all 11 souls on board were lost.
In a quiet area of woods in River Mead, Bocking, a memorial marking the sad events of May 1945 was unveiled on 10th May 2015 by locals and relatives. A part of the bomber remains on display at Ridgewell Airfield Museum.
Crew of 44-8198
1st Lt. Tom G Piers
2nd Lt. William F Powell
2nd Lt. Paul A Massina
Passengers
Cpl. George H Miller
1st Lt. Irving Nussbaum
M/Sgt. Wagner F Crane
T/Sgt. Jerrome A Grears
S/Sgt. Merrill J Blanck
S/Sgt. Leslie G Lusk
S/Sgt. Robert J Brookman
Tech. Cpl. Walker W Wallace
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