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Harry E. Byerman

Tail Gunner · 329th Squadron
HometownOH

S/Sgt. Harry E. Byerman served as tail gunner on the December 1, 1943 mission to Solingen, Germany. It was his ninth mission; he had previously flown against Foggia, Cancello, Wiener Neustadt, St. Omer, a French airfield, Leghorn, Wilhelmshaven, and Bremen. During the fighter attack over Holland, the tail section was badly shot up by cannon fire.

Byerman had last checked in on the intercom over Holland before the fighter attacks. Crew member Sellers reported seeing him moving back from the turret as though seriously wounded, just before Sellers bailed out. Byerman did not bail out. Multiple crew members, including pilot Keating, radio operator Crawford, waist gunner Cheney, and bombardier Leediker, all concluded that he went down with the aircraft approximately 25 miles southeast of Cologne. The entire surviving crew was satisfied he did not survive.

Killed in ActionPASSED 01 DEC 1943

Sortie Log

1 CATALOGUED SORTIE
01 DEC 1943

The sorties below are those we have been able to document for this airman, drawn from flight logs, mission records, and archival sources. It is not necessarily a complete account of every mission flown; gaps may reflect missing documentation, transferred assignments, or records lost to time.

8AF Mission
Date
Target
Aircraft
№ 145
01 DEC 1943
SolingenI/A
On December 1, 1943, the aircraft departed on a bombing mission to Solingen, Germany. It was flying left wing of the lead ship at approximately 23,000-24,000 feet altitude, routing via Holland and Belgium. The aircraft came under enemy fighter attack with cannon fire, which badly shot up the tail section. The plane fell out of formation west of Aachen and was shot down approximately 15 miles southeast of Cologne. The aircraft was abandoned in the air and struck the ground at an unknown location. All crew members bailed out with the exception of the tail gunner, S/Sgt. Harry E. Byerman, who was believed to have been seriously wounded or killed by cannon fire and went down with the aircraft. Multiple crew questionnaires confirm he was last seen in the tail position and did not bail out. Plane serial unknown.
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§ Interment
Cemetery
Netherlands American Cemetery
Location
G 5 18