LATEST KASSEL MISSION NEWS

On our first Memorial Day without any remaining Kassel Mission veterans, the KMHS Board reflects on the legacy of Jim Baynham and the 117 airmen lost on September 27, 1944. We also share two important updates: the Gerstungen memorial fundraiser for eight new crash-site markers, and the homecoming of Sgt. Charles C. Palmer, the 5th of 8 Kassel Mission MIAs, to be reinterred in Sarasota on June 8, 2026.

It has been a busy and productive year for KMHS. Our activities have ranged from our ongoing efforts to recover and bring home our four remaining MIAs, to the KMHS Board’s adoption of a new five-year organizational plan. We are also making progress on the KMHS Archiving Project led by Linda Dewey and Trent Heidtke, and we recently participated in the 8th AF Historical Society Reunion.

Eighty years after the tragic Kassel Mission, the descendants of the 445th Bomb Group gathered in Germany to honor the fallen and celebrate enduring bonds of humanity. In this heartfelt reflection, Kiera Miner shares her grandfather’s story—his faith, his survival, and the German kindness that ensured generations could be born. The piece highlights the powerful 2025 memorial dedicated to his crew, led by local historian Andreas Heid.

When the Miner family arrived in Grebenau, they stood on the very ground where their father’s B-24 crashed in 1944 — and where, 81 years later, a new memorial now stands in his honor. Led by Andreas Heid and supported by the local community, the ceremony drew nearly 500 people, uniting Germans and Americans in a moving tribute of remembrance and peace. The day was filled with gratitude, reflection, and connection — a living testament to how history continues to bring people together.

More than 300 attendees gathered in Colorado Springs for the 8th Air Force Historical Society Reunion. KMHS expanded its visibility through shared exhibits, new partnerships, and a renewed commitment to preserving the stories of the 445th Bomb Group and the Kassel Mission. Key highlights included meetings with the Mighty 8th Museum and collaboration with other Bomb Group societies to engage the next generation of historians.

On Kassel Mission Day 2025, we mark the 81st anniversary of the Kassel Mission. A new memorial in Grebenau, Germany now honors the Miner Crew where their aircraft came down — preserving their memory and the legacy of the 445th Bomb Group.

If you have never been to the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum, just outside of Savannah, Georgia, there might soon be additional reasons to visit! They are in a very large expansion mode and have expressed interest in including the Kassel Mission story! KMHS has recently had a few conversations with their president, Scott Loehr, and he agrees that the story of the Kassel Mission is very significant—given that it was the largest single group loss in any battle of the air war.

A memorial at the crash site for the Bolin Crew plane was dedicated in September of 2019. This was the first of its kind — a crash site memorial for a single crew. We are pleased to report that there is now activity in place to do the same for where the Miner Crew plane went down, with a target to complete and dedicate on September 27, 2025. This has become a reality near the town of Grebenau due to the efforts of a local inhabitant, Andreas Heid. Andreas has worked tirelessly in an effort to make this happen.

This Memorial Day, the KMHS Board reflects on the deep meaning of remembrance following last fall’s 80th Anniversary trip to Tibenham and Friedlos. The blog honors the lives lost in the Kassel Mission, celebrates the enduring legacy of the 445th Bomb Group, and highlights the powerful reconciliation efforts by communities in both the UK and Germany. As we remember those who sacrificed everything, we’re reminded that triumph and tragedy walk hand in hand—and that through remembrance, their legacy lives on.

I am honored to be a Veterans’ son and most honored to be part of an association dedicated to the Memory of our 445th’s Veterans.‍‍ Having just recently returned from Tibenham, England and Friedlos, Germany, Marcie and I had the privilege to meet and participate with 48 other individual family and friends of Kassel Mission crewmen on an a terrific 80th anniversary trip.

September 27th 2024 and over 50 of our KMHS members will be together at the Memorial in Friedlos, Germany for the commemoration this morning. We will also visit a few of the crash sites from where many of our hero’s spent their last moments - The Bolin and Hansen Crews. This has been a wonderful trip with too many stories to share here... but look for an expanded newsletter this fall to do such. Our association will continue to not just survive but thrive because of all you members.

On this Memorial Day, we gather to honor the courage and sacrifice of the 117 American and 19 German airmen who perished during the Kassel Mission on September 27, 1944. This day of remembrance is dedicated to acknowledging the bravery displayed by these men...

Porter Spencer sits stoically in his chair as a powerful Army officer in his perfect dress blues places a flag in the young boy’s hands. Porter Spencer is 9 years old, and he carries the blood and the name of an aviator who died defending the United States and the world from atrocities unreal and unimaginable.

It’s a darker time and a sinister time as Nazi Germany spreads its hatred across Europe. The year 1940 is a rough year as the German war machine indulges Adolf Hitler’s hate and his delusional ambitions. They spread the fragmentation of his hate as German panzers and ground troops slam into France and Belgium and Holland.

It’s a slower time and a quieter time in the life of the world and in the life of Harlingen when a young Porter Pile heads off to school. He’s just a youngster at Central Ward Elementary school on Jackson Street in the new town founded just a few years before in 1910. There is promise, there is new agriculture and there are farmers and railroads and the establishment of new communities.