Norman Rogers and his crew of the B-24 âWham! Bam! Thank You, Mamâ had been on a bombing mission on 24 August 1944 and were shot down. This was the first mission they had flown. Rogers, a Rochester native and an Aquinas graduate, and seven of his crew were being taken to a POW camp by train and had to leave the train at Russelsheim Germany on 26 August 1944. As they were taken through the town a mob started following them, throwing rocks and bricks. At the center of the town, the crew, up against a brick wall, were beaten and some of them shot. Rogers and 5 of his crew were killed by the townspeople. This tragedy became the subject of the first war crimes trial held in Germany after the war. Visit the Society and see the full story. Thanks to Madeline Teremy for the pictures of her father, Norman Rogers.
MILITARY HISTORY SOCIETY OF ROCHESTER
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