World War II Honoree

Edward Weinstein

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Saint Louis, Missouri

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: STAFF SERGEANT. SERVED AS A B-17 ‘FLYING FORTRESS’ BOMBER WAIST GUNNER ASSIGNED TO THE 350TH BOMB SQUADRON, 100TH ‘BLOODY HUNDREDTH’ BOMB GROUP, 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 ON HIS NINTH MISSION; 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 AND 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 HELD IN CAPTIVITY AT THE GERMAN STALAG 4F HARTMANNSDORF-CHEMNITZ SAXONY PRISONER OF WAR CAMP WHERE HE DIED SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1944. HE WAS INTERRED IN A BATTLEFIELD CEMETERY AND AFTER THE CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES IN EUROPE, HIS REMAINS WERE RETURNED TO HIS FAMILY, JANUARY 7, 1949 WITH INTERMENT IN ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, FORT MEYER, VIRGINIA. 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.