Merrill, Myron S.
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Military Service Description
Myron Merrill, dubbed “Snuffy” by crewmates, was a bombardier of the 568th Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group, 13th Combat Wing, 3rd Division, 8th US Army Air Forces. He and his crewmates flew out of Framlingham, England. Bombardiers are responsible for the targeting of aerial bombs. As a bombardier, he flew the following combat missions: #177-1 on 1944-08-24, #184-2 on 1944-09-05, and #189-3 on 1944-09-12. He was a bombardier for B-17 #43-38175. The two nicknames for this B-17 were: “I'll Be Seeing You” and ‘’Till We Meet Again.’ On 1944-09-18, the B-17 “‘Till We Meet Again’ was dropping supplies for Polish partisans fighting against Nazis in the Warsaw Uprising as a part of Operation Frantic. According to Technical sergeant Marcus Shook, the Radio Operator and one of the two survivors, said of the incident, "The plane crashed at 1250 hours approximately 50 km Northwest of Warsaw. One engine caught fire. I bailed out at 10,000 or 14,000 feet. No one was killed or injured before the plane crashed. A wing blew off in mid air." His death is considered a finding of death (FOD) which means his body was not recovered and he was declared dead and killed in action. Of the 10 crew members, 8 were killed in action. The two survivors were taken by the Germans as prisoners of war. Merrill and the rest of the crew are remembered on the anniversary of their deaths by the people of Łomianki. Merrill received an air medal and purple heart.
Biographical Text
Family Members
Mother: Regina M
Siblings:
Roy
Mildred
Bibliography
2Lt Myron S Merrill, Find a Grave.
"B-17 Crew Honored By Poles," Arizona Republic, November 27, 1986, p. 14.
Embassy of Poland U.S., Twitter.
'I'll Be Seeing You' #43-38175, American Air Museum In Britain.
"Mahwah News," Ramapo Valley Independent, September 25, 1941, p. 3.
Memorial Day Parade Program, May 25, 1988 (Lee Vold Collection, Mahwah Museum).
Merrill, Myron S, Fields of Honor Database.
Missing Air Crew Reports (MACRs) of the U.S. Army Air Forces, 1942-1947, Fold3.
Myron Merrill, 1930 United States Federal Census.
Myron S Merrill, American Air Museum In Britain.
Myron S Merrill, Honor States.
Myron S Merrill, U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S., Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942-1949.
Myron S Merrill, U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946.
Myron S. 'Snuffy' Merrill, WWII Memorial.
Photo Captions
Photo 2: Close-up of Merrill from a crew picture of 'I'll Be Missing You,' place and date unknown (Honor States).
Photo 3: Crew picture of 'I'll Be Missing You,' place and date unknown (Embassy of Poland Twitter).
Photo 4: Picture of memorial dedicated to the members of 'I'll Be Missing You,' Łomianki, Poland, date of picture unknown (Embassy of Poland Twitter).
Photo 5: Individual Casualty Questionnaire, part of the Missing Air Crew Report for Merrill and his crew, place and date unknown (Fold3).
Photo 6: Headstone Inscription and Internment Record for Merrill (Fold3).
Photo 7: Merrill's headstone at the Ardennes American Cemetery, date of photo unknown (Fields of Honor Database).