Haaltert, Belgium
Monument to the Crew of Aircraft #4238123, To Hell or Glory
334th Squadron, 95th Bomb Group (H)
Dedicated 2002 and 2004
Mission #160 on June 23, 1944 was a tactical combat mission in continuing support of the Normandy Invasion. Thirteen aircraft took off, but none finished the mission, and one aircraft was lost: #4238123, known as To Hell or Glory. Of the ten men aboard that day, two were killed; three became prisoners of war; and five evaded, eventually making it back to Horham. The aircraft crashed near the village of Haaltert, Belgium, killing the pilot and the top turret/engineer. Many years later, a group of Belgian patriots researched the WWII crashes around their area, with the aim of erecting monuments to the Allied airmen. Due to their efforts, a memorial monument now stands in Haaltert (near the Belgian city of Ninove) in front of a private home. The fields behind the house were the actual crash site. When the memorial was re-dedicated in 2004, the nephew of the pilot, a skydiver, arranged a skydive of ten jumpers, representing the ten men of the crew of To Hell or Glory, to jump into the crash site. Crew members Richard “Dick” Ennis and Henry “Dutch” Schultz both attended the moving ceremony. The monument states “For the Liberation of Europe” and “In Memory of Those Airmen,” listing their names with crew photographs below.
The crew of To Hell or Glory on June 23, 1944:
Lt. Corry D. Blount, Bombardier, POW
2 nd Lt. Herbert I. Cahn, Navigator, POW
2 nd Lt. Harvey G. Cox, Co-Pilot, EVD
T/Sgt. Richard T. Ennis, Radio Operator, EVD
T/Sgt. Albert S. Huff, Top Turret Gunner/Engineer, KIA
Lt. Daniel J. Mangan, Pilot, KIA
S/Sgt. James W. Phillips, Waist Gunner, EVD
S/Sgt. Ewell M. Riddle, Tail Gunner, EVD
S/Sgt. Henry J. Schultz, Waist Gunner, POW
S/Sgt. Ray Smith, Ball Turret Gunner, EVD