Museum's Honorary Membership in the 95th Bomb Group

Museum's Honorary Membership in the 95th Bomb Group

The Museum received an honorary membership in the 95th Bomb Group Memorials Foundation

Date: 2010-02-12

The Museum received an honorary membership
in the 95th Bomb Group Memorials Foundation

95th Bomb Group Memorials Foundation presented an honorary membership in their veteran’s association to our Museum at the beginning of 2010. Besides the membership in the 100th Bomb Group Foundation, the 339th Fighter Group Memorial Association and in the unofficial association of veterans of Jagdgeschwader 4 „Fliegerstammtisch JG 4”, the Museum is becoming part in another group which took a role in the air battle on September 11th, 1944.
Information about the decision of the of Board of Directors 95th Bomb Group Memorials Foundation was send to Kovarska on January 25th, 2010

Certificate received from the 95th Bomb Group Memorials Foundation

Certificate of “Life-time Membership”
for the Museum of Air battle over the Ore Mountains

The membership in this association is a great honor for our Museum, and we are delighted with this achievement. Our big thank you goes especially to Rob Morris, the 95th BG Historian, who was the initiator of this act.

Rob Morris is the author of book Untold Valor
and co-author of book Combat Bombardier. At the present time, he is working on a book about the history of the 95th Bomb Group.

The 95th Bomb Group flew as a subsequent combat box on September 11th, 1944, behind the heavily attacked 100th BG and lost one B-17G in the combat.
In the final part of the battle over the Ore Mountains, in spite of having a fighter escort from the 55th a 339th Fighter Group, the 95th BG was attacked by Fw 190 pilots of now sparse II.(Sturm)/JG 4. Considering the fighter escort, the JG 4 did not have much of a chance, however near the German town of Schmalzgrube they managed to shot down a B-17G with the serial number 42-97334 and code sign ET-S, nicknamed „Haard Luck“ from the 336th Squadron, 95th BG. The entire crew composed of Lt. Vance C. Mooring, Lt. Carl R. Swanson, Lt. A. P. Janson, F/O R. A. Moerke, Sgt. C. P. Stein, Sgt. F. Aliveto, Sgt. T. H. Merriman, Sgt. W. P. Martin a Sgt. J. G. Weber bailed out and were taken as POWs.
A showcase is dedicated to this crew and aircraft in our Museum and of course appropriately is also commemorated the 95th Bomb Group. Between the years 1998 and 2009, a contact was established with families of some crew members, with two crew members that are still alive today, Charles Stein and Robert Moerke. Both of them visited the Museum and also the final resting place of their Flying Fortress. The son of the co-pilot, Scott Swanson came to our annual reunion in 2008.
In 2001, the Museum was also visited by the original navigator of „Haard Luck“, Lloyd O. Krueger, who flew the largest number of missions in this Flying Fortress. After completion of the required number of missions, he was returning back to the USA, when “his” B-17G flew its last mission on September 11th, 1944.
A few months ago, a small part of this B-17 “returned” to its original base in Horham, East Anglia after 65 years. A new co-operation and friendship was established in 2009 with the 95th Bomb Group Heritage Association in England and this museum dedicated to the 95th BG received from us a number of fragments which were found at the crash site during our research and excavation.
(http://www.95thbg-horham.com)

Michal Holý

Marking of the 95th Bomb Group (H)

Charlie P. Stein (right) Top turret gunner B-17G 42-97334
at the Museum in 2002, talking to his new friend,
former German fighter pilot Kurt Schiebeler.