On Christmas day 1944 Lt William W Truxes, and crew #014-R2 of the 788th BS, took off from Rackheath in B-24 42-95200 to attack targets in support of the Groups efforts against the German attack in the Battle of the Bulge. The ship was attacked by enemy fighters in the vicinity of St Vith, Belgium. With the No.3 engine on fire, and fire spreading throughout the wing and fuselage, the aircraft exploded. The two pilots were blown out of the aircraft along with the RCM Operator. These men survived and were taken POW. Sadly the remaining seven either crashed with the ship or were blown out at time of explosion.

The three survivors taken POW:

1st Lt William W Truxes (Pilot)
2nd Lt John E Sullivan (Co-pilot)
S/Sgt Burton Hurwitz (RCM op)

The men KIA:

F/O David J. COUNTEY, Navigator
S/Sgt John N ELLEFSON, Radio Operator *
S/Sgt Peter HARDICK, Engineer
Sgt Roland L MOREHOUSE, Gunner
Sgt Stanley P KOLY, Gunner *
Sgt Walter WALINSKI, Gunner
Sgt Alek ONISCHUK, Gunner *

*Buried at American Cemetery Henri-Chapelle, Belgium

A local man, Paul Remy, was the driving force of this Memorial Project located in Rettigny Belgium (near the border with Luxembourg). In April 2010, enquiries were made into this B24 crash and efforts made to establish to which crew and unit they belonged. After painstaking research the Lt. Truxes crew were identified as those involved and efforts were then made to establish a Memorial to those who lost their lives that day. The local municipal authorities were extremely helpful with providing finance and committing workers to the project which finally came to fruition in October 2011.