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Missing Air Crew Report and Stateside News Stories S/Sgt. Trefry A. Ross 765th Bomb Squadron The aircraft of Crew #14, a B-24 Bomber, Fifteenth Air Force, 49th Bomb Wing, 461st Bomb Group, 765th Squadron., flying out of Cerignola, Italy (near Foggia), was shot down by enemy fighters over Troubky, Czechoslovakia at 12:01 PM, 17 December 1944. Upon being hit by enemy 20 mm cannon shells, from either FW-190 or ME-109 German aircraft, it immediately caught fire and within minutes exploded. The main portion of the aircraft, with six bodies, crashed near the to village of Troubky. Four airmen were able to parachute to safety. Those who gave their lives were:
They are buried in a mass grave near Troubky, Czechoslovakia and have a marble monument with a bronze plaque, donated by the villagers of Troubky, to commemorate the day these American boys gave their lives so that Czechoslovakia could be free. The four survivors are:
These men returned to the United States following cessation of hostilities in Germany in June 1945. They are now living in various parts of the United States. Tom Qualman is In Georgia; Tom Noesges is in Illinois; Trefry Ross is in California; and Edward Kasold's whereabouts are unknown. IN MEMORIUM From Duluth Newspaper about 1946 A monument dedicated to the memory of a Duluth youth and five of his companions will show the world that Czechoslovakian patriots have not forgotten how American soldiers died for them. The Duluthian, Sgt. Roy L. Doe, the late son of Mr. and Mrs. L. K. Doe, 128 South Sixty-third Avenue West, will be one of the dead heroes honored on 15 August 1946, when the monument is unveiled in the village of Troubky, Czechoslovakia. When the war department released the meager information regarding the death of their son (copy of paper unreadable ) rectory of Father Nepustil. The Germans ruthlessly stripped the dead fliers of all valuable personal possessions and equipment, and orders were issued to bury the six bodies in a ditch beyond the cemetery. IT WAS AT THIS POINT that Father Nepustil and the Czech patriots vowed to show their appreciation for the sacrifice the Americans had made for them. After urgent pleading by the townsmen and the village priest, the German command relented and gave permission for a military funeral for the six fliers. Obtaining the willing help of the local casket maker, Father Nepustil had individual coffins made. From a Volin, So. Dakota Newspaper approximately 1947. (There was a picture of the monument, i.e., a large upright marble slab, upon which is a bronze figure of Fred Gaul depicting the way he was found on the ground - which has not been reproduced for this book.) THIS MEMORIAL DAY PHOTO taken in Troubky Czechoslovakia, was received recently by Mrs. Waiter Koon of Volin, from Colonel William H. Bowers, air attaché with the American Embassy in Prague. Col. Bowers and his wife, accompanied by his assistant, T/Sgt. Bobrovicz and his family, visited the community cemetery in Troubky to lay a memorial wreath on the grave of Mrs. Koon's son, Lieutenant Thomas Kurtz West, and his crew members who are buried there. The Czechoslovakian Air Force furnished an honor guard of airmen for the occasion, and Col. Bowers and Sgt. Bobrovicz placed the wreath on the grave as representatives of the U. S. Government and U.S. Air Force. The small Moravian village is about a six-hour drive from Prague. The Colonel writes: "The grave is very well kept and continuing care is provided to it by the cemetery caretaker and the people of Troubky who take pride in the memorial to your son and his crew mates. Flowers are planted on the grave and a candle is frequently kept burning." |
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