ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 98526
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| Date: | Sunday 1 July 1945 |
| Time: | night |
| Type: |  Boeing B-29 Superfortress |
| Owner/operator: | 237th CCTS BU USAAF |
| Registration: | 44-86334 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 10 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Soldier Creek, 6 mile South of Bonton, Kentucky -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Colorado |
Martin-Omaha B-29-50-MO Superfortress 44-86334: Built under licence by Glenn L. Martin Company, Omaha, Nebraska. Assigned to Combat Crew Training Squadron, 237th Army Air Force Base Unit (237th CCTS) Kirtland AAF, New Mexico.
Written off (destroyed) July 1, 1945 when crashed at Soldier Creek, 6 mile South of Bonton, Kentucky: The plane had refuelled in Nashville and was on its way to Colorado before returning to New Mexico. Only one of the ten crew survived, the other nine were killed. Corporal Irving Elias, the lone survivor of the crash was thrown from the tail of the aircraft after hearing a loud explosion. Elias was able to successfully deploy his parachute and survived the fall of almost 8,000 feet.
Elias sought shelter from the heavy rain and electrical storm by staying under a bush until daybreak when he walked to the residence of Maxine Bhannon who took Elias to a hospital in nearby Benton, Kentucky. A memorial stone stands at the crash site, and reads as follows:
"On July 1, 1945, A B-29 Superfortress crashed near Soldier Creek Church. Nine men aboard the B-29 lost their lives and one* survived after being thrown from the aircraft and parachuting to safety. This monument shall remain in remembrance of their sacrifice and of those who have served and continue to serve on foreign and domestic soils as ambassadors for our freedom and democracy.
1st Lieutenant Joseph F Arone
Corporal Roy G Berryhill
2nd Lietenant Ward W Copenhaurer
2nd Lietenant Richard O Snow
Flight Officer Eugene M Graham
Sergeant Romold A Kryzan
Sergeant Delmar H Lumberg
Sergeant Arnold A Rushton
Flight Officer James R Schetzsle
Corporal Irving A Elias*
Erected by Marshall County Fiscal Court Sept 7, 2008"
Sources:
1. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1944_6.htm]l
2. https://www.theclio.com/web/entry?id=4815
3. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMB0M5_Soldier_Creek_B_29_Crash_Memorial_Marshall_Co_Kentucky
4. http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/31397-b-29-bomber-crashed-memorial-july-1-1945/
5. http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Jul1945S.htm
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Jun-2017 20:00 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 13-Feb-2020 17:06 | Iwosh | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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