The Monument at the Roadside

 

History of the American B26 bombers, which crashed at December 23, 1944 near Demerath and Steineberg. Researched and written by Hermann-Josef Stolz, Mehren, Germany.

 

The monument was disposed as a memorial to the crew, but also as a memorial against war and forgetting. It also reminds of the people of Demerath, who had the courage to bury the dead as required by their Christian belief, although this was forbidden by the Nazis.

 

What happened then at this December 23, 1944 - one day before Christmas?

After the bad weather, which remained over the whole area of the front since the December, 16 1944 had gone sometimes the sun was breaking through the clouds. Therefore on this Saturday the air activity was more than seen in many weeks by the allieds. The 9th Air Force was told to eliminate the railways and the supply-roads behind the front. At this time railway still was a very important potential to supply the forces at the front. This day is known as "Black Saturday" in history of the 9" Air Force because they lost 36 B26-Marauder bombers only at this day over the Eifel area.

 

The plane which was shot near Demerath. It's nickname was "DRAGGIN LADY"

 

1. 1st Elmar R. Borden

2. Capt. Mont F. Stephensen

3. S/Sgt. Lynn E. Rose Jr.

4. T/Sgt. William E. Bower

 

The 397th Bomber Group with their B26 Marauder bombers were ordered to destroy the railway bridge near Eller which led over the river Mosel. 33 bombers started this morning out of its base Peronne in France in order to destroy their most important goal. The first bomber squadron lost 3 airplanes over the goal area by very violently and exactly shooting Flak fire. It was the second squadron, which was attacked by approximately 50 German hunters while their bombs fell on the goal. Seven bombers were shot in the process of the fights. Two B26 crashed near Demerath and Steineberg.

 

The only still living crew member Paul W. Lefever of the airplane crashed near Steineberg had reported the following to me: "... After we attacked the goal for the first time, my turret was destroyed and fell into the ammunition chute. My radio telephone system was also destroyed, so I did not know, which destruction was further on. On second attack wave our airplane was burning. When I came forward from the rear range, the radio operator had already jumped off. I also jumped afterwards out of the airplane. Since there were many airplanes around in the air, I made a free fall from 8,000 to 1,000 feet (2.400 to 300 meters). At touchdown I broke my ankle and had some more breaks in my leg, which I still have today. An SS Panzerjager man (Tank Hunter man) took me to a small village. I believe it was Steineberg."
 

Two crew members fell dead with the airplane. They were buried in the proximity of the crash spot. The four other crew members could jump off using their parachutes and became POW's. The pilot had suffered heavy burns so he succumbed to his injuries on January, 3 1945 in the military hospital in Siegburg. Fewer luck had the nine crew members of the B26 that crashed near Demerath. They had all been killed within the crash.

 

Pilot: Capt. Stephensen Mont F., 27 years old

Copilot: 2nd Lt. Grappes John L.

Navigator: 1st Lt. Kinney Robert J., 28 years old and married

Bombardier: 2Lt. Borden Elmar R., married

Gee-Operator: 1st Lt. Grundman Laverne F.

Engineer- Gunner: S/Sgt. Rose Lynn E. Jr.

Radio-Gunner: T/Sgt. Bower William E.

Armourer-Gunner: S/Sgt. Watson Harry H., married

Engineer-Gunner: S/Sgt. Galati James V.

The airplane impacted south of the village at a mountain and broke apart.

An eye-witness described the aerial combat as follows:

 

"...One day before Christmas, it was nice sunny weather and snow; bombers flew over Demerath and Steineberg. Suddenly a German hunter flew from way down through the bomber formation. Immediately a burning bomber crashed near Steineberg, a short time later the second crashed, which impacted behind
Demerath. The German pilot jumped off its destroyed machine with the parachute. He was hurt at his head. The airplane impacted behind Steiningen. The German pilot after his landing visited the crashing spots of his own machine and those of the two bombers...."

 

When on February 1, 1946 an American excavator command exhumed the two dead bodies of the bomber crashed near Steineberg, they found a cross with the inscription on the grave: "Here are lying two American pilots". The two dead ones, which were transferred later to the U.S.A, were Bomb Contactor F/O Gummings Benjamin B. and the 25 year old Flight Engineer T/Sgt Ahlgreen Elwood R. The people of Demerath buried the dead bodies at the edge of their Catholic cemetery.

 

The later Mayor took the identity discs of 7 dead crew members. From the other two (Stephensen and Grundman) he had only found their paybooks. He delivered these deduction things later to the city hall of Gillenfeld.

 

In May 1945 the 9 dead ones were exhumed and transferred to the American Military Cemetery Hamm in Luxembourg. Four of the nine were later transferred from there to the U.S.A.

 

The airplane wreck was still lying at the crash spot even some years after war has ended. And many people of Demerath went there in order to find something useful.

 

For many people WWII is a long time ago, many who experienced it aren't alive any more, many things are forgotten.

 

But even nearly 60 years after the end of the war there are still people, war veterans and survivors, who are on search for answers on many different questions. These answers would make it possible to close a chapter after many years.

 

During my investigations about the air war in the Eifel area I came in contact with the survivors of Pilot Capt. Mont F. Stephensen and Bomb Contactor 1st Lt. Elmar R. Borden.

 

They were very pleased about the fact that I could help them clarifying the circumstances of the death of their relatives. They were still more surprised and agitated about the fact that in the proximity of the crash place an intending small monument for the crew was established.

 

What finally remains is the certainty that I have given the answers to many questions to survivors, and that I have found new friends in the U.S.A. And the certainty for the Americans, that their death relatives are not forgotten. Because the worst which could happen to the millions of dead of the World War is being forgotten.

 

If the last war veteran and the last time-witness of the war deceased then World War II will only be history and it remains preserved only which will be located in the historical books about the large battles.

 

But what happened in so many small places will just be saved for later generations if it was written down before the last eye-witness has died.