RITES TO HONOR AIRMAN 50 YEARS AFTER FATAL FALL

Tragedy haunted this B-24 Liberator bomber crew that flew out of Norwich, England, in late 1944 and early 1945. On the plane's first combat mission, the plane lost two engines, and Sgt. Denver Clyde Loberg was killed in a bizarre accident when he was dropped from the bomb bay. A month later the entire crew, including Loberg's replacement, perished when the plane went down in flames over Germany. Loberg is kneeling second from right.

Like many young men during World War II, Dennis Clyde Loberg felt it was his patriotic duty to enlist in the service.

Although he was married with two young children, Loberg enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps Jan. 17, 1944.

Following stateside training, Loberg was sent to Norwich, England, in November 1944 where he was assigned to the 790th Bomb Squadron, 467th Bomb Group, Second Air Division, Eighth Air Force.

His assignment, to fight as a gunner-assistant radio operator on missions to Germany and enemy-occupied Europe. He was assigned to a B-24 Liberator bomber crew.

In letters home, Loberg said he would be eligible for leave after 25 missions with his group. He never mentioned his first combat mission would be Christmas Eve, 1944.

The first mission would be his only one. Sgt. Denver Clyde Loberg never returned. He lost his life in a bizarre accident when he was dropped from the plane's bomb bay.

Loberg, a native of Sedgewickville, will be honored during a special "A Grateful Nation Remembers" program to be held at Memorial Park Saturday. The program, sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution, John Guild Chapter and the Commemorative Events Committee, is part of the Department of Defense 50th Anniversary of World War II Commemorative Community program.

Attending the 10 a.m. program will be Loberg's widow, Marjorie Swan, who now lives in Pocahontas, Mo.; daughters Vida Loberg Stanard of Poplar Bluff and Tina Loberg Druckenmiller, of Marietta, Ga., and other relatives, including John Stanard who is providing biographical material for the program.

American Legion Post 158 will take part in the ceremony.

Loberg was born June 17, 1923, at Sedgewickville, the son of Jesse and Meta Barks Loberg. He and his wife, the former Marjorie Sample Loberg, were parents of two daughters, Vida, 2, and Tina, 4 months, when he left the defense plant where he worked to join the service.

The contents of a diary of a fellow crew member, Clarence J. Ratchford, provided by Stanard, details the happenings of that Christmas Eve in 1944.

On Dec. 23, Ratchfaord's diary stated that the weather was rainy and foggy, and the crew did fly but was scheduled for a combat mission Dec. 24.

"We are alerted for a combat mission for tomorrow," he wrote. "I wonder where it will be."

The next entry in Ratchford's diary was on Dec. 24.

"Don't know how to start this tonight unless it's to say it is a miracle I'm alive."

The Dec. 24 mission was to Daun, Germany, and the plane was loaded with 23, 250-pound bombs.

The diary detailed the happenings.

"We took off and gas poured out of the Number 3 engine. We had to feather the engine. The nose-gunner (Sgt. Loberg) was in the bomb bay, putting the pins back in the bombs as we intended to land with them."

Ratchford wrote of helping Loberg.

Then, "Engine number 4 went dead."

Ratchford went to another area of the plane.

"The plane was dropping like rock, so they salvoed the bombs. The plane was still dropping, but we managed to land. That's when we missed Loberg. The poor guy fell out of the bomb bay and was killed."

Ratchford described the landing of the "ill-fated" B-24 Liberator.

"As soon as we hit the runway, we had to swerve over onto the grass to keep from hitting a truck. Mac (Pilot J.L. McArthur) made a beautiful landing. We can't figure out what kept that plane from blowing up and what got me out of that bomb bay in time. I was plenty lucky."

Ratchford's luck didn't hold, however.

After recording details of four more combat missions, Ratchford made his last diary entry Jan. 20, 1945, less than a month after Sgt. Loberg's death. A few days later, the crew went down with their burning plane over Germany. All aboard perished.

The other crew members of the plane included Loberg's replacement (name unknown); co-pilot Jim Pendergast of New Orleans; bombigator (bombardier-navigator) Stokes of Minnesota; engineer William Walker of Texas; assistant engineer Erickson of Minnesota, radio operator John O'Malley of Ohio and assistant armorer Frank Watson of Missouri.

Loberg's body was recovered and buried at Cambridge, England, where it remained until Aug. 15, 1948, when it was returned to Missouri. A service was held at Sedgewickville Methodist Church and burial was in Memorial Cemetery in Cape Girardeau County.