1st Lt.

Herbert W. Small

Pilot / Co-Pilot

544th Bomb Squadron

384th Bombardment Group (Heavy)

Serial Nr O-746447

KIA 27/04/1944 Aged 23

Missions credited - 23

Resting place - Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, France

Herbert was born in 1920, to Irish and Scottish immigrants - the second of five children - in Sheffield, Massachusetts.

After completing nursing training at the MacLean Hospital Nursing School near Boston in April 1942, Herbert and his older brother James "Jim" Small both enlisted in the Army Air Force.

On completion of training, Herbert was assigned to the 384th Bomb Group, 544th Bomb Squadron on November 5th, 1943 with his first mission as co-pilot coming on November 16th.

On 27th April, 1944 Herbert flew his first mission as pilot, onboard a B17G #42-97136 with an entirely new crew - only one of them had a single mission to their name. The mission was to attack a V-1 rocket site at Sottevast, France. Immediately after bombs away, the B17 took a direct hit starting a fire in the cockpit area. It quickly engulfed the aircraft, with the wreckage crashing near Bricquebec and Rocheville, France. Of the ten man crew, there were no survivors.

In the course of his duties, Herbert was awarded the Purple Heart medal, and Air Medal with Three Oak Leaf Clusters.

Research courtesy of Hans Smith on behalf of 384^th Bombardment Group Museum.

With kind thanks to the 384th Bomb Group website (384thbombgroup.com) for permission in using material from their records in the making of this story. It holds a wealth of information, documents and photographs of their activities during World War 2.