Charles Howard Evans Jr
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
Object Number - UPL 63442 - 2nd Lt Charles H. Evans Jr
Assigned to 368BS, 306BG, 8AF USAAF. Evans crashed at Budberg, Germany on 26 August 1944 after his aircraft B-17 42-97946 "Hard To Get" was hit by flak while over the target at Gelsenkirchen.
Evans was captured, but managed to escape after two days on the night of 28 August with Harvey Purkey, the Top Turret Gunner from his crew. Evans and Purkey jumped off a train from Budberg-Krefeld-Cologne to the Interrogation Center Oberursel. They were caught by German civilians near Trebur where they were trying to cross the Rhine on the morning of 29 August.
Evans and Purkey were taken from Trebur to Groß-Gerau where they were attacked and beaten by a large crowd of people. The local security police arrived shortly after and dragged away the two airmen, only to then proceed to beat them to death with iron bars.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 306th Bomb Group 368th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 16113858
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner; Flight Engineer
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Hard T' Get
- Unit: 306th Bomb Group 368th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 26 August 1944
Places
![A bomber crew of the 306th Bomb Group wave to Picture Post Girls in front of a B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-24471) nicknamed "Four of a Kind" at Thurleigh in December 1942. Image stamped on reverse: '"Picture Post" [stamp], 'Passed for Publication 11 Dec 1942.' [stamp], '238038.' [Censor no.] Handwritten in censor's blue pencil on reverse: 'American Flying Fortress crew are introduced to the girls they will meet at Picture Post Xmas Party.'](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-379028.jpg.webp?itok=6Gc6iR0j)
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Bedford
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Bellevue, Pennsylvania | 6 March 1922 | Son of Charles H Sr and Anna F [Hallam] Evans |
|
Enlisted |
Pittsburgh, PA | 30 June 1942 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
|
Other Baled out KIA |
Gelsenkirchen, German | 26 August 1944 | Failed to Return (FTR) Gelsenkirchen in B-17 42-97946 'Hard To Get'; captured, escaped, beaten to death by captors. KIA MACR 8464 |
|
Died |
Groß-Gerau, Germany | 28 August 1944 | |
|
Based |
Thurleigh | 26 August 1944 | Assigned to 368BS, 306BG, 8AF USAAF. |
|
Buried |
Re-Interred Netherlands American Cemetery Limburg, Netherlands Plot K Row 19 Grave 18 |
Revisions
Information provided by Dr Susanne Meinl, German Historian
Records from the US Military Tribunal at Dachau, US POW cases, January- December 1947, at the Jewish Virtual Library, Case No. 12-793 (US vs. Nikolaus Fachinger and Heinrich Flauaus) Tried 3 Aug. 45
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 8464
