Staff Sergeant Joseph Mayer Miller, Army serial number 11057709, was born at Greenfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts on April 22, 1922. His friends called him Joe and Yussel. His parents were Samuel Harry Miller (15 May 1887 – 16 Aug 1959) (called Harry), who was born in Russian Poland and immigrated to America about 1907; and Leah (Block) Miller (25 Dec 1896 – 26 Sep 1960), who was born at Worcester, Massachusetts; his mother's parents were born in Russia. His parents married at Worcester, Massachusetts on Jun 5, 1919.

He had a younger brother, Louis Miller (1925 – 1980); and a younger sister, Marilyn Ann (Miller) Miller (1931 – 1976). By 1930 the family lived at 180 Wells Street in Greenfield, Massachusetts, and his father was a dry goods salesman. In 1940 his father was a cattle dealer.

He graduated from Greenfield High School in June 1940. His photo on page 36 of the school's 1940 yearbook, Exponent Annual 1940, is accompanied by this entry:

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JOSEPH MAYER MILLER

"Yussel"

     Intramural basketball (2, 3, 4); Glee Club (3); Stage Crew,

Senior Play (4); Senior Play Advertising Committee (4);

Year Book Committee (4).

     "Yus" is that happy-go-lucky fellow who is always at the

bottom of some prank. But all joking aside, when you want

an honest-to-goodness worker on some play or other, "Joe"

is always there to the rescue.

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After high school he worked for his father in the cattle business. In June 1942 he married May 'Cissy' (Solomon) Miller (later Blyden) (11 Nov 1921 – 16 Apr 2011) at Worcester, Massachusetts, her hometown. He registered for the draft at Liberty, New York on June 30, 1942. He was 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weighed 159 pounds, and had brown eyes and brown hair. At that time he and his wife lived at 64 Vassar Street in Worcester, and he worked for Harry Solomon, his wife's father, in an occupation related to packing, filling, and labeling. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, on October 22, 1942. In 1944 his wife lived at 7 Monroe Avenue, Worcester, Massachusetts.

He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training, and was assigned as a waist gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Lloyd W. Kersten. The Kersten crew completed B-17 operational training at Dyersburg Army Air Base, Tennessee, and was assigned to the 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. The crew arrived in England by July 24, 1944, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is Lt Kersten's crew roster on November 30, 1944:

B-17G 43-37877 – 836th Bomb Squadron

• Kersten, Lloyd W – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA

• Gerland, Henry E – 1/Lt – Copilot – KIA

• Hyland Jr, James W – 1/Lt – Navigator – POW

• Ritchhart, Warren H – 1/Lt – Bombardier – POW

• Eberhart, John D – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA

• Shegal, Arnold R – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA

• Morrison, Everett S – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA

• Sullivan, Maurice J – S/Sgt – Tail Gunner – KIA

• Miller, Joseph M – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA

S/Sgt Miller and six crewmates were killed in action on November 30, 1944, when their aircraft, B-17G 43-37877, was shot down by flak. The target was the large I. G. Farben synthetic oil refinery at Leuna (called Leuna Werke) near Merseburg, Germany. Lt Kersten flew in the #8 position of the Low Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group, which led the 4th Wing on this mission. As the 487th Bomb Group formation approached the initial point of the bomb run near Triptis, the radar set in the lead ship malfunctioned, and the deputy lead ship took over the lead for a visual run. The bombardier in that ship couldn't pick out the Leuna refinery through the smokescreen and the flak, so he chose to drop on what was thought to be a refinery in the vicinity of Zeitz. At 1:15 PM, just after bombs away, Lt Kersten's B-17 received direct flak hits at about 51°06'N, 12°05'E in the vicinity of Theißen and Nonnewitz, north of Zeitz. The aircraft was set on fire near the right wing root and engine number 3, and flames enveloped and extended past the tail. The aircraft was last seen spinning at about 51°25'N, 11°50'E, about seven miles southwest of Halle, Germany. Observers reported that a wing came off in the spin, and the aircraft exploded at low altitude. Lts Hyland and Ritchhart bailed out before the aircraft exploded and survived as prisoners of war.

On December 5, 1944, the bodies of S/Sgt Miller and three of his crewmates—S/Sgt Maurice J. Sullivan, S/Sgt Everett S. Morrison, and T/Sgt John D. Eberhart—were buried by German Police at the town cemetery of Deuben, Germany. On July 1, 1945, the remains of these four Americans were disinterred at Deuben, Germany, by Corporal Anderson of the 3046 Quartermaster Graves Registration Company. On July 8, 1945, S/Sgt Miller's remains were reinterred at the U.S. Military Cemetery, St. Avold, France in Plot M, Row 6, Grave 1799. On August 10, 1948, his remains were disinterred at USMC St. Avold for return to the United States. On September 16, 1948, the remains were transferred to the ship USAT Carroll Victory at the port of Antwerp, Belgium. They arrived at the New York Port of Entry on October 6, 1948, and were shipped to Greenfield, Massachusetts by train on November 1, 1948, accompanied military escort Technical Sergeant Victor R. Palmer.

S/Sgt Miller's remains were interred at Greenfield Hebrew Congregation Cemetery (also called Temple Israel Cemetery) in Greenfield, Massachusetts on November 1, 1948. Funeral Director Mr. C. Eugene McCarthy, 36 Bank Row, Greenfield, Massachusetts handled the arrangements. S/Sgt Miller's grave is located in a grassy island in the center of the cemetery. His parents are also buried at Greenfield Hebrew Congregation Cemetery.

He is honored on the Newton Square Veterans Memorial near the traffic circle at Newton Square, Worcester, Massachusetts.

His widow married Sydney Blyden (18 Nov 1922 – 27 Apr 1986) of Worcester, Massachusetts on June 29, 1947.

Sources:

1. 487th Bomb Group Association

2. 1930 US Census; Massachusetts; Franklin County; Greenfield; 180 Wells St. Miller, S. Harry. 5 Apr 1930 (his father)

3. 1940 US Census; Massachusetts; Franklin County; Greenfield; 180 Wells St. Miller, Harry. 8 Apr 1940 (his father)

4. 1940 US Census; Massachusetts; Worcester County; Worcester; 26 Tahanto Rd. Solomon, Harry. 4 Apr 1940 (his wife's father)

5. Blyden, Robin S. Personal conversation about Joseph and May Miller. 21 Sep 2015 (daughter of Joseph Miller's widow)

6. City Directory, Greenfield MA, 1942 (Harry Miller, cattle buyer, lived with his wife Leah at 180 Wells; son Joseph Miller lived and was employed at 180 Wells)

7. de Jong, Ivo.'The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004

8. Enlistment Record of Joseph M. Miller

9. (The) Jewish Advocate (newspaper). Wedding Announcement of Joseph Miller and May Solomon. Boston MA, 3 Jul 1942

10. JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry

11. Joseph Mayer Miller (1922 – 1944) in Dawn's Family Tree (ancestry.com)

12. Library of Congress Veterans History Project: James W. Hyland Collection (navigator on the Lloyd W. Kersten crew; confirms crew training at Dyersburg, Tennessee)

13. Massachusetts Marriage Index, 1941–1945 (ancestry.com) (Joseph Mayer Miller was married at Worcester MA in 1942.)

14. Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841–1925 (familysearch.org)

• Marriage certificate of Samuel Harry Miller and Leah Block (his parents, married 5 Jun 1919)

• Birth certificate of Joseph Mayer Miller (him, born 22 Apr 1922)

15. Nahman, Phyllis R. of Temple Israel Burial Society, Temple Israel of Greenfield, 27 Pierce Street, Greenfield, MA 01301

16. Newton Square Memorial, Worcester, Massachusetts

17. Schilling, Stephan Rolf. Location of photo showing B-17G 43-37877 going down (See the 487BG facebook thread started by John Whyte on 4 May 2016.)

18. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 11154; and supporting 487th Bomb Group intelligence report

19. U.S. Department of the Army, Adjutant General Office, Technical Records Section. Individual Deceased Personnel File of Joseph M. Miller, 11057709

20. U.S. Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925–1970 (ancestry.com)

21. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945

22. U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900–1999 (ancestry.com): Exponent Annual 1940 [yearbook]. Greenfield MA: Greenfield High School, Jun 1940 (photo on page 36)

23. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946

24. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com): Joseph Mayer Miller, born at Greenfield MA on 22 Apr 1922, registered for the draft at Liberty NY on 30 Jun 1940; his residence: 64 Vassar St, Worcester MA; point of contact: May Miller, his wife, at same address

25. U.S. World War II Jewish Servicemen Cards, 1942–1947 (ancestry.com)

Research by:

Paul Webber

Find A Grave member ID 47577572

Added bio 6 Oct 2011

Last edited 21 Sep 2024