I frammenti di aereo rinvenuti nel terreno.
Frammento con matricola 82-11118
Luigi Fortunato (SAF), Francesco Marra, Antonio Feo, Giovanni Stoppiello e Matteo Ragone (SAF)
Michele Meo e Gianni Coscia.
Al padre di Edward J. Minck viene conferita la Purple Heart per il figlio creduto morto
La fossa comune dei membri dell'equipaggio
Lo Zachary Taylor National Cemetery
Aircraft: B-25 Mitchell medium bomber 41-30407
Nationality: U.S.A.
Precipitate: September 22, 1943
Location: 26 km north-east of Salerno
Remarks: Identification confirmed
The location of this crash site is due to the tenacity and perseverance by Gianni Coscia. After reading an article that explained the activities of SALERNO AIR FINDERS, contacted us and was kindly provided with regard to research in Irpinia. We provided him a couple of reports of crashing took place outside of his country, Montemarano, and a few days later he contacted us to inform us of his findings.
Through Patrizia Meo he has learned of a man who witnessed a crash in its property. We then promptly arranged a first visit by meeting with Gianni and John Stoppiello of Volturara Irpina, that led us to the home of Michael Meo, a man in his eighty but with a still lucid mind. Mr. Michael, who still lives today in Ceraso, where his family lived 70 years ago , has warmly welcomed at home with her daughter-in-law Rosa and Francesco Marra. It 'was very helpful and informative in telling us what he saw happen on that morning of September 22, 1943.
The land named "Piano del Dragone" was since a few days already full of German troops camped. The area allowed access to Salerno where the Allies had landed on September 9 and allowed the troops of the Wehrmacht to maintain a safe escape route in the event of a retreat. In addition, the Luftwaffe, the German air force, was widely using the airport implanted by fascism in the '30s. All this activity did not go unnoticed to the allies scouts planes and September 22th the U.S. Air Force appeared in the skies of Volturara throwing incendiary bombs. The attacks continued in the following days resulting in about 60 deaths among the civilian population.
Referring to its first bombing Michele Meo says: "I saw 2 groups of American bombers each consisting of 3 planes flying very low and throw their bombs on our district. Suddenly the German anti-aircraft placed in an elevated position on the road Serino - Santo Stefano del Sole opened fire. Two planes were shot and one visibly began to lose altitude. After a sharp turn to the left, during which I saw a man bailed out , the plane fell down in our own land disintegrating into a thousand pieces and taking fire immediately. Our house was hit by the flames and we together with my mother and my brothers were forced to flee to escape death. When the flames died down I went to the disaster site and noticed that human limbs were in the midst of those burning wreckage. For several days the poor parts of bodies remained unburied until they were collected and buried in the same spot where the plane crashed. My father, who had escaped to the mountains along with our sheeps not to be raided by the Germans, looked down what had happened and tried to go back to see if we were okay. Unfortunately, a few meters from the house, got into one of the landmines that the Germans had scattered in the area and lost his life. In a few days I lost my home and my father. "
So far, the dramatic story of Michele , but what remains of that tragic event? We asked the current owner of the property, Mr. Antonio Feo, to allow us to do a quick inspection. After obtaining permission we began the search following the precise instructions of Michele and Antonio. It did not take long time to find a few small fragments of aluminum, typical evidence of a plane crash. Unfortunately, the terrain is used for the production of grass for the animals and so we could not continue the search, but Antonio said he will allow us to continue our search in winter.
The fragments of aluminum, however, supply to us some indications. First of all, the discovery of a shell of 12.7 mm Browning machine gun, confirmed that it was a U.S. plane. In addition, the serial numbers present on some fragments begin with the prefix 82. That indicates that the parts are made up for an American medium bomber North American B-25 Mitchell. This nimble and stable plane became famous during the Second World War, when a squadron of B-25s took off from the aircraft carrier Hornet under the command of General Doolittle to bomb Tokyo in response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.
As reported by Michele Meo, only one of the crew managed to launch before the plane crashed to the ground. Further research allowed us to identify the plane, finding its own MACR 16514, connected to the B-25 shot down in Volturara September 22, 1943. From it we learned that the crew members were:
Harvey L. Harmon, pilot, 22 Years
William F. Ballard, co-pilot, 22 Years
Marion P. Shadwell, navigator and pointer
Franklin L. Fent, gunner
Edward J. Minck, radio officer and gunner, 22 Years
The report says that a formation of 24 aircraft of the 82nd Squadron and the 83nd Squadron attacked that day artillery troops of the Wehrmacht near Saint Lucia di Serino. The Squadron was counter-attacked by the fire of 3 anti-aircraft guns that hit 8 bombers, one of which caught fire and crashed. We tried to track down the only survivor named in the report, Edward J. Minck, looking in the phone book of the city of Danbury, his hometown. Finding an address in his name we wrote a letter. After a few days we were contacted by Cathy Lynch, daughter of Edward, who was happy to learn of our research and let us know who the father is still living. We then learned that Edward was enlisted in USAAF at age of 19 and was assigned to the 12th BS. The day he was shot down was on his 30th mission for which he was offered as a volunteer and as a result, he was been assigned to a crew different than the usual one. When the plane was hit, Ed tried to help the pilot to wear a parachute, but he ordered him to launch immediately. He just jumped from the plane and saw it crash to the ground. Edward ended up in a cornfield and was rescued by some farmers who helped him to hide in a chicken coop. After a few minutes he heard Germans voices ordering him to surrender. An officer fired at him and hit him in the groin. He had to go out from the chicken coop with his hands up and was taken prisoner. He was later transported to a military hospital near Rome, where he had a painful surgery after which he was transferred to a prison camp in Germany.
The teammates of Minck, once returned to base, reported not seeing any man jump from the plane on fire. The U.S. authorities therefore concluded that there had been no survivors and communicated the news to the families. The family of Edward then, informed his girlfriend Ellen Bartram. It was organized a memorial service and an obituary appeared in the newspapers of Danbury. In November 1943 the father of Minck recieved the Purple Heart (medal given to the wounded in war or to family members of the fallen). Ed wrote several letters to his loved ones but none were ever delivered. Finally, on March 15, 1944, Ellen received a postcard from her beloved shipped December 25th, 1943. In a short time the good news went around the city. For his family he was as if he had been resurrected!
The imprisonment was particularly hard. Edward was moved from one stalag to another. In each field he suffered deprivation and ill treatment. He was finally released on April 30, 1945, by a unit of the U.S. Army under General Patton. Returned to civilian life, he married Ellen in 1946 with whom he still lives today. From their marriage two daughters were born, Norine and Cathleen. He worked as a carpenter for 12 years and later joined the U.S. Postal Service. He is now retired and devoted himself to his favorite sport, golf. He was awarded with the medal for POWs (prisoners of war). He had also been promised the Distinguished Flying Cross, but he has never received.
Despite his age and infirmities , with the help of his daughter Cathy, he was happy to answer a brief interview.
- Why did you enlist?
I did not enlist I was drafted.
- Where were you enrolled before your plane was shot down?
We were stationed in Sicily
- Have you ever participated in bombing in the area of Salerno and
Avellino before the one in Volturara?
I cannot remember
- What do you remember about your last mission?
I volunteered for the mission so I could go home for furlough after 35 missions (that was my 30th) I remember the bursts of flak and the pilot telling me to bail out and as soon as I did the plane crashed nearby and burst in flames exploding right next to me. You would think that I could never forget
that mission but I honestly can't remember that much about it.
- How did the civilians acted toward you after they saw you crashing over the corn field?
I don't recall having any contact with them. Someone did tell the Germans where I was in the barn.
- Why did they germans shot you down?
I think because I didn't understand that they were telling me to come out of the barn. I didn't know any german. When I stood up to finally come out they shot through the wall and I was hit in the backside. Had I not stood up the bullet would have hit me in the head.
- How was the time during the imprisonment?
I can't remember much of it but I do recall the inhuman treatment we received. After I was captured I had to travel twenty hours in an ambulance to a field hospital and was not given even water. The food and living conditions
were horrible, dirty and unsanitary. We were denied our red cross
parcels. They kept us in line with vicious guard dogs and poked us
with bayonets if we couldn't keep up.
- What do you think of those years of war?
I would not trade my life for anything in the world. I met a lot of good guys and many good friends. I feel lucky because many of these young people have not been able to return to their homes.
The comrades of Edward were buried in the ground where they had fallen. Later the bodies were exhumed and transferred in Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky. The fact that they are buried in a mass grave exhumation indicates that it was not possible to identify the bodies.
They have so far participated in this research:
Gianni Coscia
Luigi Fortunato
Matteo Pierro
Matthew Ragone
John Stoppiello
Lo scopo di questo sito è quello di presentare le attività dell'Associazione Salerno 1943, un gruppo di volontari noti anche come Salerno Air Finders. L'Associazione si occupa di preservare la memoria degli aviatori che durante gli anni della seconda guerra mondiale precipitarono con i loro aerei in Campania e nelle regioni limitrofe rintracciando, identificando e ricostruendo la storia dei loro abbattimenti.