Earl lives in Essex, Massachusetts, and is married when he joined the Air Corps in March 1942.

It emerges from the school of aviation cadets and joined the beginning of 1943 the 384th Bomber Group activated since December 1 1942 on the base of Gowen Air Field.

Flying Primary School Ocala

Wendower Air field

Earl joined the Group at Wendower Air Field until April 1943 and then moved to Sioux City Air Base.

Sioux City Air Base

On May 27, 1943, Earl and the Group left the United States to join Europe and England; The crossing takes place aboard the Queen Elizabeth. The Group landed on 2 June in Greenock, Scotland.

Vue aérienne

Earl and his brothers-in-arms settle on the base of Grafton Underwood Station 106 in Northamptonshire. Combat training continued and the Group's first mission took place on 22 June.

Schéma des piste

Earl's first mission was on 26 November 1943 for a bombardment of the city of Bremen in Germany.

Then the missions will succeed one another for Earl for a total of 29 aerial output but put in their active mission 26 aerial output. (Some aerial output were not accounted for various reasons, including occasional downgrades due to technical or other problems).

On May 8, 1944 a new day begins on the station of Grafton with a lightened program. The mission of Earl is located in the late afternoon in France on the French coasts and notably the Channel.

The objective is the Sottevast military shipyard coded as "Noball XI / A / I 8" which is to receive V2 rockets.

Three groups are assigned to this mission including the 384th and which will be grouped within the 41st Combat Wing.

Plan vol de la mission du 8 mai

After attending the briefing at 1:30 pm, the take-off for Earl and his crew is scheduled for 4:00 pm with an arrival on target at 7:00 pm.

Earl's B-17 will be at the head of the formation of the 384th. Earl will not fly his usual plane the "Nuttals Nut House" this one being unavailable this day, he will pilot a B-17 belonging to the 546th Bomber Squadron.

After making the final preparations Earl and his crew take position in the four-engine.

It is 15:50 everybody is at his post and the engines are running. Between 1615 and 1625 the B-17s take place in the sky above the base in order to regroup. After assembly, the Group's B-17s join the other two Group (303th and 379th). The formation of the 41st CW is in place and the 384th is in the position of High Group.

Arrived in the middle of the Channel, the formation takes the direction of Bretagnes to deceive the Germans on their final destination.

The formation after having made its circumventing maneuver and having incurred incidents in the course of this one finds the escort hunters, after having reached the peninsula it is Périers which is on approach, at this moment the course must be Respected to the goal.

But unfortunately in the 303rd BG's leading aircraft an incident occurred at the bomber's station, its sighting system was defective. The flak begins to open fire at about the same time.

>While the 303rd and the 379th went as best they could to the drops, the 384th bombers are approaching in a black sky without sight, Earl engages in formation in this thick fog of smoke and then it is the drama, a violent explosion strikes the B-17, the four-engine is hit behind the cockpit, the aircraft begins to lose altitude, the B-17 catches fire then breaks in two. The front part falls on the commune of Néhou and the rear on the edge of the road near the castle of the Grimonnière, a hundred meters away.

In this drama, 5 crew members will be able to escape, four will be able to evacuate during the fall and open their parachutes, the fifth will be expelled but his parachute is already harnessed it will also be able to open it.

They will be made prisoners in the following days, one will manage to escape.

Earl was definitely killed instantly with the rest of the crew.

The 384th having lost its leader will continue its bombing phase on the target with dramatic consequences.

The results of this operation will be meager, most bombs will have fallen to about 250 meters of the site, but of the 156 dropped only two bombs reached their targets.

Low balance for dramatic losses: 3 bombers of the 384th will not return to the base in this 8 May 1944.

For Earl it was the 27th mission and the 103rd of the 384th Bomber Group.