Seymour Eisenstat grew up in Brooklyn and attended Brooklyn Technical High School before entering the service in 1943. He followed initial training at a mechanics school in Biloxi, Mississippi then, having had an opportunity to be an Aviation Cadet, he went to a navigational school in Texas.



After his training, he found himself in Savannah, Georgia, where he was assigned to a B-24 crew. Sent overseas, he was assigned as a Navigator in the 491st Bomb Group / 854th Bomb Squadron in England.



He was on board B-24 "Belle Ringer" # 42-51195 on his third combat mission when it crash-landed in Belgium on return from the 14 March 1945 raid to bomb the marshalling yards at Gütersloh, Germany. Just before the B-24 crashed, Seymour had left his position in the front of the plane and met Engineer Kenneth Kingsland near the top turret position and they hugged, happy to see the mission ending positively.



After the wing of the Liberator hit the top of a farm, Seymour was thrown to the floor, Kenneth fell on him and the engineer was crushed by the rupture of the top turret which fell on him. Kingsland died shortly thereafter and Seymour, who says he owes his life to him, was severely wounded. He had a fractured skull, broken ribs, his left leg shattered.



He remained unconscious for 60 days and stayed in various hospitals until he was brought back to the USA. There, he was first cared for at the Halloran General Hospital at Staten Island, New York. After treatment in many medical and rehabilitation facilities in the States and ultimately in Michigan, he was honorably discharged from the service on 1 January 1948.



After that, he went to school in Long Island, NY, graduated in Liberal Arts, worked for a time in the plastics industry, ending his career as a math teacher.



In the 2010 interview at http://www.greenburghpublicaccess.com/veterans-living-history/12032015-… Seymour Eisenstat tells of his service, the mission and how Engineer Kenneth Kingsland, the sole casualty, saved his life.