Merrill served as a 2nd Lieutenant and Pilot on B-24E ~ #42-64397, 18th Bomber Squadron, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Montgomery County, Maryland prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on April 25, 1941, prior to the war, in Baltimore, Maryland. He was noted as being employed as a sheet metal worker and also as Single, without dependents.
On the evening of October 15, 1943, B-24E Liberator #42-64397 took off for a routine navigational training flight. Shortly afterwards, the flight radioed that they were experiencing engine trouble and requested a west-to-east emergency landing.
The control tower granted the request and as the pilot began a descending, banking turn to align with the airfield, the plane collided with terrain in the McCoy Mountains, about nine miles to the northwest of Blythe, California.
All ten airmen aboard were killed.
Investigators speculated the pilots lost sight of the horizon on the moonless night as they were making their turn.
Merrill died in the "Line Of Duty" in this crash during the war.
Service # O-685190
Son of Merrill and Claudia T. Bernard.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24E ~ #42-64397 :
Bernard, Merill, Jr. ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, MD
Buess, Lewis J. ~ Sgt, Radio Operator, OH
College, Paul S. ~ Sgt, Gunner, PA
Grace, William G., Jr. ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier, IN
Grimm, Paul C. ~ Sgt, Gunner, MO
Hazelwood, Howard E. ~ Sgt, Gunner, NY
May, Ormond E. ~ Sgt, Gunner, D.C.
Mulberger, Dean M. ~ F/O, Co-Pilot, PA
Osburn, Arthur R. ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, AR
Thurmond, Willis S., Jr. ~ Sgt, Engineer, CA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Montgomery County, Maryland prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on April 25, 1941, prior to the war, in Baltimore, Maryland. He was noted as being employed as a sheet metal worker and also as Single, without dependents.
On the evening of October 15, 1943, B-24E Liberator #42-64397 took off for a routine navigational training flight. Shortly afterwards, the flight radioed that they were experiencing engine trouble and requested a west-to-east emergency landing.
The control tower granted the request and as the pilot began a descending, banking turn to align with the airfield, the plane collided with terrain in the McCoy Mountains, about nine miles to the northwest of Blythe, California.
All ten airmen aboard were killed.
Investigators speculated the pilots lost sight of the horizon on the moonless night as they were making their turn.
Merrill died in the "Line Of Duty" in this crash during the war.
Service # O-685190
Son of Merrill and Claudia T. Bernard.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24E ~ #42-64397 :
Bernard, Merill, Jr. ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, MD
Buess, Lewis J. ~ Sgt, Radio Operator, OH
College, Paul S. ~ Sgt, Gunner, PA
Grace, William G., Jr. ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier, IN
Grimm, Paul C. ~ Sgt, Gunner, MO
Hazelwood, Howard E. ~ Sgt, Gunner, NY
May, Ormond E. ~ Sgt, Gunner, D.C.
Mulberger, Dean M. ~ F/O, Co-Pilot, PA
Osburn, Arthur R. ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, AR
Thurmond, Willis S., Jr. ~ Sgt, Engineer, CA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merrill served as a 2nd Lieutenant and Pilot on B-24E ~ #42-64397, 18th Bomber Squadron, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Montgomery County, Maryland prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on April 25, 1941, prior to the war, in Baltimore, Maryland. He was noted as being employed as a sheet metal worker and also as Single, without dependents.
On the evening of October 15, 1943, B-24E Liberator #42-64397 took off for a routine navigational training flight. Shortly afterwards, the flight radioed that they were experiencing engine trouble and requested a west-to-east emergency landing.
The control tower granted the request and as the pilot began a descending, banking turn to align with the airfield, the plane collided with terrain in the McCoy Mountains, about nine miles to the northwest of Blythe, California.
All ten airmen aboard were killed.
Investigators speculated the pilots lost sight of the horizon on the moonless night as they were making their turn.
Merrill died in the "Line Of Duty" in this crash during the war.
Service # O-685190
Son of Merrill and Claudia T. Bernard.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24E ~ #42-64397 :
Bernard, Merill, Jr. ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, MD
Buess, Lewis J. ~ Sgt, Radio Operator, OH
College, Paul S. ~ Sgt, Gunner, PA
Grace, William G., Jr. ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier, IN
Grimm, Paul C. ~ Sgt, Gunner, MO
Hazelwood, Howard E. ~ Sgt, Gunner, NY
May, Ormond E. ~ Sgt, Gunner, D.C.
Mulberger, Dean M. ~ F/O, Co-Pilot, PA
Osburn, Arthur R. ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, AR
Thurmond, Willis S., Jr. ~ Sgt, Engineer, CA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Montgomery County, Maryland prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on April 25, 1941, prior to the war, in Baltimore, Maryland. He was noted as being employed as a sheet metal worker and also as Single, without dependents.
On the evening of October 15, 1943, B-24E Liberator #42-64397 took off for a routine navigational training flight. Shortly afterwards, the flight radioed that they were experiencing engine trouble and requested a west-to-east emergency landing.
The control tower granted the request and as the pilot began a descending, banking turn to align with the airfield, the plane collided with terrain in the McCoy Mountains, about nine miles to the northwest of Blythe, California.
All ten airmen aboard were killed.
Investigators speculated the pilots lost sight of the horizon on the moonless night as they were making their turn.
Merrill died in the "Line Of Duty" in this crash during the war.
Service # O-685190
Son of Merrill and Claudia T. Bernard.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24E ~ #42-64397 :
Bernard, Merill, Jr. ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, MD
Buess, Lewis J. ~ Sgt, Radio Operator, OH
College, Paul S. ~ Sgt, Gunner, PA
Grace, William G., Jr. ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier, IN
Grimm, Paul C. ~ Sgt, Gunner, MO
Hazelwood, Howard E. ~ Sgt, Gunner, NY
May, Ormond E. ~ Sgt, Gunner, D.C.
Mulberger, Dean M. ~ F/O, Co-Pilot, PA
Osburn, Arthur R. ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, AR
Thurmond, Willis S., Jr. ~ Sgt, Engineer, CA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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