Oranje, Midden-Drenthe, The Netherlands
The Orange Channel Monument to the Crew of Junior
On the second daylight raid on Berlin, March 6, 1944, the 8th Air Force went in with a force of almost 800 heavy bombers and was met with horrific resistance, resulting in its heaviest loss of planes (69 heavy bombers and 11 fighter escorts) and men (more than 700) in the war. The 95th Bomb Group aircraft known as Junior was one of the planes lost that day. Fortunately, all ten crew members survived.
The strike force of B-17s suffered two waves of vicious fighter attacks on the way into the target, heavy flak over Berlin, and more fighter attacks on the way home. The 95 th Bomb Group (H) lost 8 planes. Seven men were killed, with most of the remaining 70-odd men becoming POWs.
Junior was hit and went down in the northeastern Netherlands. All of the crew successfully bailed out, although one severely injured crew member, Bombardier Russell Allman, was tossed out by a fellow aviator. When the Germans discovered Allman, they quickly transferred him to a hospital and saved his life, though he lost a limb. Navigator Elton Skinner evaded capture. All the other crew members became prisoners of war, joining many others whose aircraft had also been downed that day.
The residents of Oranje, in the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, erected a monument on the banks of the Orange Canal to commemorate the efforts of these brave men who fell into their village that day battling the enemy.
A bronze plaque affixed to a rough-hewn boulder reads (translated; names corrected; positions added):
The Orange Canal Monument reminds the residents of Orange (municipality of Midden-Drenthe) of the crash of an American B-17 bomber on March 6, 1944. All ten crew members survived the crash. The names of the crew are:
2nd Lt. Russell P. Allman (bombardier)
T/Sgt. Marion A. Gillmor (top turret gunner/engineer)
S/Sgt. Porter B. Hyght (waist gunner)
S/Sgt. John Janssen (radio operator)
2nd Lt. Willys P. Jones (co-pilot)
Lt. Garland B. Lloyd (pilot)
S/Sgt. Ralph R. Rice (ball turret gunner)
S/Sgt. George R. Robinson (waist gunner)
2nd Lt. Elton A. Skinner (navigator)
S/Sgt. Victor P. Valek (tail gunner)