100th ARW honors WWII B-17 ‘Mission Mistress’ on 81st anniversary of crash

Photo By Karen Abeyasekere | A memorial dedicated to the crew of the B-17 Flying Fortress, Mission Mistress, is on display after being unveiled at a ceremony on the 81st anniversary of its crash in Bury St. Edmunds, England, Jan. 6, 2026. Based at the 94th Bomb Group, RAF Bury St. Edmunds, Rougham, the aircraft suffered an engine failure during take-off, as the crew was heading out on a mission to Kaiserslautern, Germany. This resulted in a crash and explosion which tragically claimed the lives of five of the nine-man crew, and seriously injuring the four survivors. (U.S. Air Force photo by Karen Abeyasekere)  

BURY ST. EDMUNDS, SUFFOLK, UNITED KINGDOM

01.06.2026

Story by Karen Abeyasekere 

100th Air Refueling Wing   

On a cold, snowy day Jan. 6. 1945, “Mission Mistress,” a B-17 Flying Fortress, crashed on the outskirts of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, instantly killing five of its nine-man crew.

Eighty-one years to the day, during an unveiling of a permanent memorial to the World War II crew, it poignantly began snowing midway through the ceremony, held next to the crash site.

The B-17, tail number 42-97082, took off from RAF Bury St. Edmunds, also known as Rougham Field, on a bombing mission to Kaiserslautern, Germany. It immediately suffered an engine failure which resulted in a crash and explosion, seriously injuring the four survivors.

Airmen and civilians from RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath attended the ceremony and laid wreaths at the memorial in honor of the Mission Mistress crew. The Team Mildenhall Honor Guard and 48th Fighter Wing chaplain participated in the ceremony as a tribute to the World War II Airmen. Family of the crew members visited from the United States to attend the event and remember their relatives.

The Airmen were from the 94th Bomb Group. Those killed in action were:
· 1st Lt. Jack W. Collins, Pilot
· 2nd Lt. Gordon F. Henry, Navigator
· Sgt. Clint R. Halman Jr, Togglier
· Staff Sgt. James F. Tate, Flight engineer/top-turret gunner
· Sgt. Raymond J. Von Bokel, Radio operator

The crew who survived but are no longer with us:

· 2nd Lt. Robert J. Doran, Co-pilot
· Sgt. Ony M. Carrico, Ball-turret gunner
· Sgt. Nicholas A. Urda, Waist gunner
· Sgt. Cecil H. Schermerhorn, Tail gunner

At the time of the crash, the men were aged between 19 and 24.

The U.S. Air Force participates in events such as this to honor the sacrifices made by servicemembers – including World War II Airmen – and the contributions they made to ensure freedom across the world.

• Date Taken: 01.06.2026
• Date Posted: 01.09.2026 08:56
• Story ID: 555899
• Location: BURY ST. EDMUNDS, SUFFOLK, GB