Profiles In Courage: The Crew of the Mi Amigo

Visitors to Endcliffe Park, a small green space on the west side of the UK city of Sheffield, might come across a curious monument. It begins with a large, permanent American flag. Then, they'll notice several trees surrounding a large boulder. Flags representing the United States Air Force, small wooden crosses, and other tokens of appreciation flanking that boulder, which bears plaques and, often, ten photos of World War II-era airmen. 

Those airmen, 1st Lt. John Kriegshauser, 2nd Lt. Lyle Curtis, 2nd Lt. John Humphrey, 2nd Lt. Melchor Hernandez, Staff Sgt. Harry Estabrooks, Staff Sgt. Bob Mayfield, Sgt. Charles Tuttle, Tech. Sgt. Malcolm Williams, Sgt. Vito Ambrosio and Sgt. Maurice Robbins fought to die on that spot in 1944 because the alternative was much, much worse. 

On February 22, 1944, the B-17 Flying Fortress, dubbed "Mi Amigo," was sent on a bombing mission on an airfield in Nazi-occupied Denmark. The target air base was obscured by fog when the planes were supposed to go over the target, and German fighters shot down three of the formation's bombers. Luftwaffe fighters also heavily damaged the Mi Amigo, and despite dropping its 4,000 pounds of bombs into the North Sea on its way home, it would still struggle to return to its base. 

By the time the Mi Amigo flew over Sheffield, its engines were failing, and it, along with its ten-man crew, were headed for a hard landing. But there was hope: Lt. Kriegshauser, the pilot, saw an open area, a large field in Endcliffe Park, where they might be put down and maybe even survive. Sheffield is a larger city, so there weren't a lot of options for a clean touchdown. 

As they approached the field, they saw a terrifying sight. There were children playing soccer on the field, right where the B-17 was trying to land. Instead of continuing onto the field and risking the children's lives, the pilot was able to deftly adjust course, crash-landing the plane into a wooded area. Firefighters rushed to the scene but took over an hour to put out the blaze. All ten members of the Mi Amigo crew died in the crash, but none of the children playing nearby were hurt. 

Kriegshauser was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his quick thinking and skills in the cockpit. In 1969, the citizens of Sheffield commemorated the deeds of those airmen. They planted ten scarlet oak trees in their honor and held a small ceremony on the site where the boulder stands, a ceremony that has been repeated annually ever since. 
 
Everyday Europeans have never forgotten the sacrifices of American men and women in defense or liberation of their countries. Just as the French and Dutch take care of American war dead in their respective countries, so too, do the citizens of Sheffield, one of the United Kingdom's most working-class cities. A local man, Tony Foulds, witnessed the crash as a young boy and has maintained the monument ever since - for more than 75 years.