Memorial

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2nd Lt Sterling H. Book, Jr. graduated from Barret Manuel High School in 1938 and Lockyear's Business College in Evansville, Indiana, in 1940. He was employed at Lockheed Aircraft in Burbank, California.

Propellers of another aircraft chewed into the fuselage of A/C 42-38064 from the underside, and 42-38064 broke in two pieces, apparently just back of the radio room. The forward part went down in a steep glide for upwards of two minutes, then went into a spin, and disappeared in the clouds. The tail part went down, not in a glide. No fires nor parachutes were seen.

At 1142 hours, 18,000 feet, and about 5237-0410 E, en route back to England from an abortive sortie which the low squadron had made alone in Germany, A/C 42-38064 and A/C 44-8418 collided in thick haze. A/C 42-38064 was flying number one, low section, and A/C 44-8418 was flying number three, low section. After the collision and the subsequent break-up of A/C 42-3806, A/C 43-38537, flying number six, low section, descended to the deck in search of the broken plane and spotted one man floating in a Mae West waving at him, The crew members dropped three successive "K" dinghies (the small seat-type dinghies) after he was spotted. The crew members said he clamored aboard the last dinghy dropped, and they identified him as the tail gunner of A/C 42-38064. Three or 4 P-51s and one or two P-47s were circling in the vicinity when shore batteries opened fire, then A/C 43-38537 departed, and the pilot believes the fighters departed then also.