World War II Honoree

Edward G. Minton, Sr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

San Francisco, California

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: SERGEANT. HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE ARMY AIR CORPS AUGUST 20, 1943 AT SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. SERVED AS A B-17 ‘FLYING FORTRESS’ BOMBER TOGGLIER ‘BOMBARDIER’/NOSE GUNNER. ASSIGNED TO THE 349TH BOMB SQUADRON, 100TH ‘BLOODY HUNDREDTH’ BOMB GROUP, 13TH BOMB WING, U.S. 8TH AIR FORCE ‘MIGHTY EIGHTH’. HIS UNIT WAS BASED AT THE THORPE ABBOTS ROYAL AIR FORCE AIRFIELD ENGLAND, UNITED STATES ARMY AIRFIELD STATION #139. ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1944 HE WAS SHOT DOWN DURING A BOMBING RAID ON THE RUHLAND SYNTHETIC OIL REFINERY, RUHLAND-SCHWARZHEIDE, GERMANY. HIS FLYING FORTRESS WENT DOWN WHEN IT WAS ATTACKED BY A LARGE FORMATION OF GERMAN FIGHTERS AND CRASHED IN THE VICINITY OF SCHMIEDEBERG, GERMANY. THERE WERE 9 CREWMEN ON BOARD, 5 PERISHED IN THE DISASTER AND THE OTHER 4 PARACHUTED TO SAFETY. THE ENCOUNTER BETWEEN THE AMERICAN AND GERMAN AIR FORCES, LATER KNOWN AS ‘BLACK MONDAY’ TOOK PLACE AROUND MIDDAY. IT WAS ONE OF THE LARGEST AIR BATTLES FOUGHT OVER THE ORE MOUNTAINS IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER. AFTER BAILING OUT OF THE CRIPPLED BOMBER, HE WAS CAPTURED BY THE GERMAN ARMED FORCES AND TRANSFERRED TO A GERMAN HOSPITAL FOR MEDICAL CARE FROM INJURIES SUFFERED IN THE AIR BATTLE. IT WAS OFFICIALLY REPORTED BY THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT THAT HE DIED TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1945 FROM HIS INJURIES. HE IS BURIED IN THE LORRAINE AMERICAN CEMETERY LOCATED AT ST. AVOLD (MOSELLE), FRANCE. DECORATIONS AND MEDALS: AIR MEDAL WITH A BRONZE OAK LEAF CLUSTER AND A PURPLE HEART. THE AIR MEDAL WAS BESTOWED UPON THE SERGEANT FOR MERITORIOUS ACHIEVEMENT WHILE PARTICIPATING IN AERIAL FLIGHT. ON SEPTEMBER 11, 1994, THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF ‘BLACK MONDAY’, THE CITIZENS OF KOVARSKA, CZECH REPUBLIC UNVEILED AND DEDICATED A MEMORIAL, HONORING THE AIRMEN WHO TOOK PART IN THAT GREAT AIR BATTLE.