Thunder From Heaven

Tragic Glider Crash December 12th 1944 Greenham Common Airbase

The following article appeared in "Thunder From Heaven" the official news bulletin of the 17th Airborne Division Association in September 2005.

"The tragic glider crash which occurred on December 12, 1944 and which killed thirty-one 17th Airborne troopers and two glider pilots, was not forgotten on its 60th Anniversary.  The Newbury branch of the Royal British Legion and the Greenham Common Trust once again, as they have done in the past, conducted a memorial service at the special memorial site near where the glider lost its wings and crashed.  We are indebted to Chris Green of the Royal British Legion and Melissa Elliott of the Greenham Common Trust for their leadership in preparing for and concluding the memorial service.  Thanks also are in order to the members of the Royal British Legion and to Stuart Tagg, Chief Operating Officer of the Trust, for their support and cooperation in this emotional endeavor.

The Greenham Common Trust which now occupies and operates a substantial portion of what was the Greenham Common Air Base where the tragic accident took place, has taken upon itself the humanitarian task of remembering the thirty-one 17th Airborne Troopers and the two glider pilots who perished in this crash.  Under the leadership of the Trust‘s Chief Executive, Stuart Tagg, streets and buildings in the Business Park have been given names of those who passed on December 12, 1944.  To date the following have been so honored:  Troopers Lt. Albury, 1st Sgt. Fulton, PFC Helfenberg, S/Sgt. Watson, PFC Lindenmuth, PFC Weber and pilots Buckner and Croke.  The Trust has plans as additional roads and buildings are constructed, to continue naming them after the remaining 25 deceased.

To this end, we would like to share this generous memorial action with the relatives of those who are being so remembered.  Listed here are the names of all who were killed, the majority from C Company of the 194th Glider Infantry Regiment.  If you have any information about the whereabouts of their relatives or the wartime hometowns of the deceased, please let me know.  Even though 60 years have passed, we still may be able to locate them and share with them the heartfelt remembrance offered by our British friends.

    2nd Lt. Albury, Charles G.

    PFC Ambrose, Hollis H.

    Sgt. Bangs, Henry W.

    PFC Bejcek, Norman C.

    Sgt. Bloniak, Frank J.

    PFC Cholewa, Joseph W.

    PFC Davis, Forrest C.

    Pvt. Emory, James L.

    PFC Esch, Edward F., Jr.

    1st/Sgt. Fulton, Charles F.

    PFC Helenberg, Stanley B.

    T/5 Horne, William J.

    PFC Jones, Evan B.

    Maj. Klock, James F.

    PFC Kulikowski, John J.

    PFC Lindenmuth, Burton E.

    PFC MacNeil, Paul D.

    PFC Mullens, Robert L.

    PVT Murphy, Gerald L.

    PFC Neal, Richard J.

    PFC Nebendahl, Carl P.

    PFC Paulson, Russell P.

    PFC Peterson, Paul S.

    CW/O Smith, Ira E.

    Sgt. Swingle, Gilbert L.

    PVT Taylor, Alex A.

    PFC Waltmeyer, Harold E.

    S/Sgt. Watson, William C.

    PFC Weber, Dale H.

    PVT Williamson, John, Jr.

    Capt. Wofford, Wilbur P.

    Glider Pilots:

    2nd Lt. Buckner, Alfred C.

    2nd Lt. Croke, Harry R."

Any relatives of these men, not previously in contact with the 17th Airborne Division Association, are asked to e-mail us by clicking here.

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Revision Number: 0.4 Created: 06/09/2006 10:42:41 Modified: 08/12/2006 15:30:23