Lost Airmen of World War II

Most of the twenty-eight were new fighter pilots. History Nebraska counts twenty-four P-47 pilots just graduated from training at Bruning, with four crew; the memorial names Capt. Stanley J. Meadows as the C-47's pilot. The plane left Bruning at 7:07 that evening and neared the thunderstorm at about 8:25. Witnesses reported a large flash of lightning, the engines stopping, then a sharp dive, the plane turning over and striking a hill. The cause was never found. Among the dead were twin brothers from California. A cross placed at the crash site in 1946 was replaced in 2001.

What the plaque says

Lost Airmen of World War II On August 3, 1944, a C-47 transport carrying twenty-eight men of the U.S. Army Air Forces crashed in a ravine six miles southwest of Naper during a severe storm. There were no survivors. It was the largest single military air disaster in Nebraska history. The plane was in flight from the Bruning, Nebraska, Army Air Field to Pierre, South Dakota, where the men would complete gunnery training before going overseas. A monument in nearby Knollcrest Cemetery honors their sacrifice. Naper Historical Society Nebraska State Historical Society

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Battle of Bonesteel — 11 mi
• Bethlehem Cemetery — 15 mi