Wyman Daniel Martin
Wyman Daniel Martin was born July 25, 1922 in Ocilla, Georgia to parents George and Maggie Martin. In 1941 Martin graduated from Tifton High School where he played football. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942, training as an aerial gunner on a B-17. His B-17, "Sky Queen," was a part of the 546th Bombardment Squadron attached to the 384th bomber group based out of Boise, Idaho. The unit was stationed in England from May 1943 until the end of the war.
On July 28, 1943, the Sky Queen scheduled to bomb an aircraft engine manufactory in Kessel, Germany made its way across the English Channel. Several bombers experienced mechanical issues and returned to base, leaving the remaining bombers, such as the Sky Queen, dangerously exposed and unprotected.
The bomber group quickly found itself intercepted by a German fighter squadron which descended upon the formation, attacking the Sky Queen from angles from which it could not retaliate with its machine guns. This resulted in the Sky Queen sustaining heavy damage to its wings and cockpit, with one attack killing the pilot, 2nd Lt. William Dietel, Jr., in mid-flight.
Before Sky Queen's remaining crew members could evacuate, wing damage forced the aircraft into a downward spiral, locking the exit doors from extensive g-forces. Only top turret gunner Howard J. Adams and radio operator Ardell H. Bollinger were able to evacuate. The rest of the Sky Queen's crew died, including Wyman Daniel Martin, when the bomber crashed near Kortwoude, Holland. Of the surviving crew members, Bollinger was able to evade capture and make his way back to England while Howard J. Adams was captured.
After a year of uncertainty regarding his fate, Wyman Daniel Martin was confirmed KIA by Howard J. Adams when the Red Cross relayed the story of the Sky Queen to unit command. Wyman Daniel Martin is interred in Arlington National Cemetery along with the rest of his crew.
By Tanner Christy
