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Seymour Eisenstat - 1944 (courtesy Eisenstat-Shire family)
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Crash of B-24 "Belle Ringer" # 42-51195 near Florée, Belgium - 14 March 1945. Showing the farm hit by the Liberator's left wing as it banked to crash-land in the field (photo courtesy of the Heichel family - http://www.inexpensiveflighttraining.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=8801344 )
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Crash of B-24 "Belle Ringer" # 42-51195 near Florée, Belgium - 14 March 1945 (photo courtesy of the Heichel family - http://www.inexpensiveflighttraining.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=8801344 )
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Crash of B-24 "Belle Ringer" # 42-51195 near Florée, Belgium - 14 March 1945 (photo courtesy of the Heichel family - http://www.inexpensiveflighttraining.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=8801344 )
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Crash of B-24 "Belle Ringer" # 42-51195 near Florée, Belgium - 14 March 1945 - Débris of the crashed Liberator. The ambulance is ready to drive the wounded to a nearby hospital. The chapel in the background is where a plaque will be placed on 12 March 2016 in memory of the incident where Engineer Kenneth Kingsland lost his life. (Photo courtesy of the Heichel family - http://www.inexpensiveflighttraining.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=8801344 )
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At Sloppy Joe's Bar, Havana, Cuba - 1944
From left to right : Anthony P. Turco, Seymour Eisenstat, Thomas J. Alexander, Robert E. Heichel, Samuel Emerson (bombardier, who apparently flew no missions with Bob Heichel) and Kenneth S. Kingsland.
(Photo courtesy of the Anthony Turco family)
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Seymour Eisenstat being interview in 2010. Video of the interview at http://www.greenburghpublicaccess.com/veterans-living-history/12032015-762
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The plaque to the memory of Sgt Kenneth Kingsland. It reads :
TO THE MEMORY OF KENNETH KINGSLAND
Here on 14 March 1945, on return from a mission to Germany, the "BELLE RINGER", a B-24 Liberator bomber from the 854th Squadron of the 491st Bomber Group, made a forced landing. Its left wing hit the isolated house with the orange roof you can notice behind you. The aircraft ended its course in the field facing this chapel.
Sergent Kenneth Kingsland, from Connecticut and aged 27, lost his life. He is buried at the Ardennes American Cemetery in Neuville-en-Condroz.
* Ayez une pensée pour Kenneth qui est mort pour notre liberté
* Have a thought for Kenneth who died for our freedom.
(The captions of the photos in the left-hand column) :
The débris of the plane facing the chapel (in the background on the photo).
An engine from the left wing in front of the small isolated house at the edge of the Chaussée de Dinant (chapel in the background)
(The captions of the photos in the right-hand column) :
Sergent Kenneth Kingsland (engineer). He had three sisters and he was married.
On the left, the insignia of the 8th Air Force to which the aircraft belonged. To the right, that of the 491st Bombardment Group.
"Belle Ringer" was the name given to the plane by its crew.
(At bottom)
The crew of the "Belle Ringer" (photo montage) [ NOTE : this is a composite photo, where the faces of two new members of the Heichel crew in the May 1945 photo have been replaced by those of Kenneth Kingsland and Navigator Seymour Eisenstat ]
Standing from left to right : Sergent Anthony Turco, Radio; Lieutenant Seymour Eisenstat, Navigator; Lieutenant Thomas Alexander, Co-Pilot; Lieutenant Robert Heichel, Pilot; Sergent Philip Trimmer, Gunner.
Kneeling, from left to right : Sergent Glen Lebleu, Gunner; Sergent Rheudolph Cain, Gunner; Sergent Lacy Gilliam, Gunner; Sergent Kenneth Kingsland, Engineer/Gunner.
(At the bottom of the plaque, in blue, a short text in English summarizing the events and Sgt Kingsland's fate)
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/12032015-762 Seymour Eisenstat tells of his service, the mission and how Engineer Kenneth Kingsland, the sole casualty, saved his life.
Service
People
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 491st Bomb Group
Thomas Alexander’s older brother, Marston Alexander Jr, born in 1917, died in October 1929. Thomas enlisted in the Air Corps and was trained as a pilot. Sent overseas, he was assigned to the 491st Bomb Group / 854th Bomb Squadron in England. He was on...
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Military | Staff Sergeant | Gunner | 491st Bomb Group
Rheudolph Cain was the youngest of Anna S. Cain's three sons (the others : Walter and Hubert). He enlisted at the end of 1943 in the Air Corps after two years at Parkersburgh High School in West Virginia. Trained as a gunner, he was sent overseas and...
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Military | Sergeant | Gunner | 491st Bomb Group
Enlisting in the Air Corps in August 1943, Lacy Gilliam trained as a gunner and was sent overseas and assigned to the 491st Bomb Group / 854th Bomb Squadron in England. He was on board B-24 "Belle Ringer" # 42-51195 when it crash-landed in Belgium on...
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 491st Bomb Group
Robert Heichel attended the Windber High School during four years (his description in the Class of 1942 Yearbook : “He hath a stern look, but a merry heart.”) Before his enlistment in the Air Corps in 1942, he helped to build B-24 Liberators at the...
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Military | Sergeant | Flight Engineer / Top Turret Gunner | 491st Bomb Group
After finishing his studies, Kenneth Kingsland was employed as an assembler at the Pratt & Whitney United Aircraft Corporation's engine factory in East Hartford, Connecticut. Married to Dorothy, he decided to volunteer like younger men and enlisted in...
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Military | Sergeant | Gunner | 491st Bomb Group
Barely 18, Glen LeBleu enlisted in the Air Corps in July 1943. Trained as a gunner, he was sent overseas and assigned to the 491st Bomb Group / 854th Bomb Squadron in England. He was on board B-24 "Belle Ringer" # 42-51195 when it crash-landed in...
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Military | Sergeant | Gunner | 491st Bomb Group
Barely 18, Phil Trimmer enlisted in the Air Corps in April 1944. Trained as a gunner, he was sent overseas and assigned to the 491st Bomb Group / 854th Bomb Squadron in England. He was on board B-24 "Belle Ringer" # 42-51195 when it crash-landed in...
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Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 491st Bomb Group
Enlisting in the Air Corps in January 1944, Anthony Turco trained as a Radio Operator / gunner. He was sent overseas and assigned to the 491st Bomb Group / 854th Bomb Squadron in England. He was on board B-24 "Belle Ringer" # 42-51195 when it crash...
Show more
Units served with
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Group
The 491st Bomb Group flew B-24 Liberators in bombing missions over northern France and Germany from June 1944 until April 1945. Missions over Germany included bombing the headquarters of the German General Staff at Zossen. The Group was awarded a DUC...
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Aircraft
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B-24 Liberator
B-24 # 42-51195 "Belle Ringer" is listed as having been first in the 493rd Bomb Group at Debach. Transferred to the 491st Bomb Group / 852nd Bomb Squadron, it was hit by Flak on the way to the target, the Gütersloh marshalling yards in Germany on 14...
Missions
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14 March 1945
"1,250 Heavies Strike Tanks, Gun Factories Near Hanover"
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Associated Place
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Military site : airfield
Built comparatively late during 1943-44 as an Eighth Air Force bomber base, North Pickenham was rather cramped as an airfield site so the main runway was shorter than typical. It had three concrete runways, 50 loop hardstandings and two dispersed T2...
Events
Event |
Location |
Date |
Born |
New York, United States |
1925 |
Lived in |
Brooklyn, New York, United States |
June 1943 |
Enlisted |
New York City, New York, United States |
7 June 1943 |
Severely wounded in the crash of B-24 # 42-51195 |
near Florée, Belgium |
14 March 1945 |
Died |
Hartsdale, New York, United States |
March 2014 |
Buried |
Sharon Gardens Cemetery, Valhalla (Westchester), New York, United States |
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