Sgt. Kenneth S. Kingsland was killed when his B-24M, serialnumber: 42-51195, nickname: Belle Ringer,crashed in a field adjacent to Florée (The field on the corner of the chassée du Dinant and the Rue de Wagnée, 10 km north of Ciney), Belgium. He and his crew were returning from mission 886 (Bombing of the marschalling yard), Guterslöh Germany.
According to a testimony from navigator Seymour Eisenstat, the last survivor of the crew, they encountered no flak. Nonetheless they lost an engine while information before the start of their bombing run. They lost a second engine soon after and it became clear that they would not make it back to England. Not wanting to parachute in to German held territory, the crew headed for the Allied lines, Belgium. Seymour was sent into the nose of Aircraft to find a place to set down. The farmlands of eastern Belgium afforded that. They lost a third engine on short final. The roll out was smooth until they crested a small rise and hit a stone farmhouse which destroyed the Aircraft. The top Turret came down on the front end crew, killing Kenneth Kingsland and severely wounding Seymour, Pilot Hiechel, Co-Pilot Alexander and Radioman Turco were also wounded. The four gunners behind the bomb bay walked away. A salvage crew was working a B-17 crash nearby and were hailed by locals to the crash moment after impact. One of those men made the photos of crash site.
He was the eldest of four children (June A. Kingsland, Shirly L. Kingsland and Merle K. (Bixby) Kingsland) and the only son of Harold C. Kingsland and Lucy M. (Koch) Kingsland. He married to Dorothy K. Kingsland. Until he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, he worked at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Engine Manufactures in Hartford, Connecticut.
Service number: 31379109, function: Top turret gunner/Engineer, 854th Bomb Squadron, 491st Bobm Group Heavy, was decorated with Purple Heart.
According to a testimony from navigator Seymour Eisenstat, the last survivor of the crew, they encountered no flak. Nonetheless they lost an engine while information before the start of their bombing run. They lost a second engine soon after and it became clear that they would not make it back to England. Not wanting to parachute in to German held territory, the crew headed for the Allied lines, Belgium. Seymour was sent into the nose of Aircraft to find a place to set down. The farmlands of eastern Belgium afforded that. They lost a third engine on short final. The roll out was smooth until they crested a small rise and hit a stone farmhouse which destroyed the Aircraft. The top Turret came down on the front end crew, killing Kenneth Kingsland and severely wounding Seymour, Pilot Hiechel, Co-Pilot Alexander and Radioman Turco were also wounded. The four gunners behind the bomb bay walked away. A salvage crew was working a B-17 crash nearby and were hailed by locals to the crash moment after impact. One of those men made the photos of crash site.
He was the eldest of four children (June A. Kingsland, Shirly L. Kingsland and Merle K. (Bixby) Kingsland) and the only son of Harold C. Kingsland and Lucy M. (Koch) Kingsland. He married to Dorothy K. Kingsland. Until he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, he worked at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Engine Manufactures in Hartford, Connecticut.
Service number: 31379109, function: Top turret gunner/Engineer, 854th Bomb Squadron, 491st Bobm Group Heavy, was decorated with Purple Heart.
Sgt. Kenneth S. Kingsland was killed when his B-24M, serialnumber: 42-51195, nickname: Belle Ringer,crashed in a field adjacent to Florée (The field on the corner of the chassée du Dinant and the Rue de Wagnée, 10 km north of Ciney), Belgium. He and his crew were returning from mission 886 (Bombing of the marschalling yard), Guterslöh Germany.
According to a testimony from navigator Seymour Eisenstat, the last survivor of the crew, they encountered no flak. Nonetheless they lost an engine while information before the start of their bombing run. They lost a second engine soon after and it became clear that they would not make it back to England. Not wanting to parachute in to German held territory, the crew headed for the Allied lines, Belgium. Seymour was sent into the nose of Aircraft to find a place to set down. The farmlands of eastern Belgium afforded that. They lost a third engine on short final. The roll out was smooth until they crested a small rise and hit a stone farmhouse which destroyed the Aircraft. The top Turret came down on the front end crew, killing Kenneth Kingsland and severely wounding Seymour, Pilot Hiechel, Co-Pilot Alexander and Radioman Turco were also wounded. The four gunners behind the bomb bay walked away. A salvage crew was working a B-17 crash nearby and were hailed by locals to the crash moment after impact. One of those men made the photos of crash site.
He was the eldest of four children (June A. Kingsland, Shirly L. Kingsland and Merle K. (Bixby) Kingsland) and the only son of Harold C. Kingsland and Lucy M. (Koch) Kingsland. He married to Dorothy K. Kingsland. Until he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, he worked at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Engine Manufactures in Hartford, Connecticut.
Service number: 31379109, function: Top turret gunner/Engineer, 854th Bomb Squadron, 491st Bobm Group Heavy, was decorated with Purple Heart.
According to a testimony from navigator Seymour Eisenstat, the last survivor of the crew, they encountered no flak. Nonetheless they lost an engine while information before the start of their bombing run. They lost a second engine soon after and it became clear that they would not make it back to England. Not wanting to parachute in to German held territory, the crew headed for the Allied lines, Belgium. Seymour was sent into the nose of Aircraft to find a place to set down. The farmlands of eastern Belgium afforded that. They lost a third engine on short final. The roll out was smooth until they crested a small rise and hit a stone farmhouse which destroyed the Aircraft. The top Turret came down on the front end crew, killing Kenneth Kingsland and severely wounding Seymour, Pilot Hiechel, Co-Pilot Alexander and Radioman Turco were also wounded. The four gunners behind the bomb bay walked away. A salvage crew was working a B-17 crash nearby and were hailed by locals to the crash moment after impact. One of those men made the photos of crash site.
He was the eldest of four children (June A. Kingsland, Shirly L. Kingsland and Merle K. (Bixby) Kingsland) and the only son of Harold C. Kingsland and Lucy M. (Koch) Kingsland. He married to Dorothy K. Kingsland. Until he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, he worked at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Engine Manufactures in Hartford, Connecticut.
Service number: 31379109, function: Top turret gunner/Engineer, 854th Bomb Squadron, 491st Bobm Group Heavy, was decorated with Purple Heart.
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Connecticut.
Family Members
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