Airan, France
Monument to the Crew of Aircraft #42-102700, I’ll Get By,
412th Squadron, 95th Bomb Group (H)
Dedicated August 14, 2014
On the morning of August 2, 1944, the crew of I’ll Get By comprised eight regular members of the crew and two substitutes. On that day, Lt. Jasper Kaylor, Jr. replaced the co-pilot in order to fly his 33rd and last mission on what was supposed to be relatively low-risk mission. Capt. Elmer E. Bockman, an Assistant Operations Officer on the 95th BG Group Staff, flew as Command Pilot, replacing S/Sgt. William W. Adamson in the waist gunner position.
The mission was a Tactical one to target transportation hubs and German troop concentrations in the days of the post-D-Day Normandy invasion. Early into the mission, radio and navigation failure in the Pathfinder aircraft leading the 13th Combat Wing forced I’ll Get By, which was leading another segment of the Wing, to become the Combat Wing lead aircraft.
Shortly after crossing the French coast into German-occupied territory, I’ll Get By was hit by anti-aircraft artillery and spun out of formation. Two minutes after being hit, the aircraft exploded. Three men had managed to bail out, but the remaining seven perished. The plane fell into a field outside the village of Airan, near the French city of Lisieux.
The three men who parachuted out became POWs and were later forced to make the infamous Black March out of their Polish POW camp ahead of advancing Russian troops. In 1947, a Graves Registration team recovered the remains of the other seven men, three of whom were interred in Normandy and four, returned to the U. S. for burial, according to their families’ wishes.
Airan and five surrounding towns were liberated by British troops on or around August 14, 1944. Each year, Liberation Day ceremonies are celebrated in Normandy. The citizens of Airan wanted to recognize the contribution and sacrifice of the Americans who crashed into their village with a monument to the crew of I’ll Get By. This was aided by the research of two Frenchmen, M. Michel Duperron and M. Joel Huard. The village mayor, M. Patrice Martin, supported the establishment of the memorial and its unveiling on the 70 th anniversary of the liberation of Airan—August 14, 2014. In his remarks at the dedication ceremony, M. Martin said, “May this allow all of us to remember these airmen, that their families in the United States will know that we did not forget them and that future generations may live in peace. Thank you forever.”
John R. (Jack) Wormington, Brig. Gen. USAF (Ret), nephew of Pilot Robert O. Baber, attended the impressive dedication ceremony with his family. Located near the crash site, the flame- shaped monument has an engraved crew list and a crew photograph taken just prior to the mission.
More of the story can be found here.
The crew of I’ll Get By on August 2, 1944:
Capt. Robert O. Baber, Pilot, KIA
Capt. Elmer E. Bockman, Command Pilot, KIA*
S/Sgt. Walter J. Collyer, Jr., Tail Gunner, POW
Lt. Raymond D. Dallas, Navigator, KIA*
T/Sgt. Robert V. Hill, Radio Operator, KIA*
Lt. Jasper W. Kaylor, Jr. Co-pilot, KIA
S/Sgt. Barney Lipkin, Waist Gunner, POW
S/Sgt. Donald W. Phillips, Ball Turret Gunner, POW
Lt. Frank T. Sohm, Bombardier, KIA*
T/Sgt. Oscar C. Walrod, Engineer and Top Turret Gunner, KIA
*Buried in the Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, France
Photo taken at Horham, August 2, 1944
L to R: S/Sgt William W. Adamson–Waist Gunner; Capt. Elmer E. Bockman–Asst S-3 95th BG; 1Lt Jasper W. Kaylor Jr–Copilot; 1Lt Frank t. Sohm–Bombardier; T/Sgt Oscar C. Walrod–Engineer/Top Turret; T/Sgt Robert V. Hill–Radio Operator; Capt. Robert O. Baber–Pilot; 1Lt Raymond D. Dallas–Navigator; S/Sgt Barney Lipkin–Waist Gunner; S/Sgt Walter J. Collyer Jr–Tail Gunner; S/Sgt Donald W. Phllips–Ball Turret –Photo courtesy of National Archives
Note: The 11th man in the crew photograph is not dressed for a combat mission because Command Pilot Bockman replaced him on the mission. S/Sgt. William W. Adamson, waist gunner, joined the official crew photograph even though not flying that day.