World War II Honoree

H. Keith 'Mose' Mosley

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Arcade, New York

Honored By

Friends of American Heroes

He proudly served his country in the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1943 during WWII. He trained as an aerial gunner and flew 29 missions in a B-24 Liberator bomber out of England. On November 26, 1944, during his 30th and last mission before he was to rotate back to the states, his entire squadron was shot down as it bombed the last German oil refinery at Misberg near Hanover, Germany. He was locked in the top ball turret of the burning plane until the pilot released him and he parachuted out just as the plane exploded. He was taken prisoner by German soldiers and spent 30 days in an 8 X 10 room in solitary confinement. At the end of December 1944, he and other prisoners were crammed into cattle cars and taken to Stalag Luft Camp IV in Poland. On February 26, 1945, he and other prisoners began the 'Death March' across Germany. They were starved by guards until the end of April and kept on the move in snow and bitter cold to delay their liberation by the advancing Soviet Army and later by American and British Armies. They walked 800 miles across Poland and Germany. In the final days of the march on April 26, 1945 he was so weak that he fell behind his unit and when he caught up with them resting on the side of the road near Halle, Germany, American forces drove up and liberated them. They were taken to a temporary camp on the French Coast before being shipped home. He was honorably discharged in October 1945 at the rank of Staff Sergeant. He was awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon with 4 Bronze Stars and the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross.