Staff Sergeant Philip Lester Brinson

Philip Lester Brinson was born November 16, 1917 in Mayport, Florida to Philip and Mary Brinson. Brinson and his family moved around Florida throughout his upbringing, living in St. Augustine when he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps at Camp Blanding on July 3, 1942.

As a member of the 322nd Bomb Group (Medium), 450th Bomb Squadron, Brinson received his training in Florida and became a tail gunner on a B-26 Martin Marauder before going overseas to England. The 450th Bomb Squadron was stationed at Bury St. Edmunds in March 1943 where the 322nd flew low-level bombing operations. Following these missions, the bomb group trained for medium-altitude bombing, moved to Andrews Field in Essex, England, and resumed combat missions in July 1943.

On September 9, 1943, over 200 B-26 bombers from Andrews Field in Essex headed for coastal defenses across the English Channel on the French coast near Boulogne. Brinson served as the tail gunner of B-26 41-18058 that was nicknamed "Hell Wagon." During their mission to Boulogne, France, B-26 Hell Wagon’s engines were damaged by flak and the B-26 flipped over and crashed into the English Channel. 

Philip L. Brinson was 25 years old when he was killed on September 9, 1943 when his aircraft crashed into the English Channel. His remains were never recovered. He is memorialized on Tablets of the Missing, Ardennes American Cemetery, Neuville-en-Condroz, Arrondissement de Liège, Liège, Belgium.

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By Tanner Christy