1stLt Wallace “Wally” Boyes, Pilot, B-17G “Rebel Queen”

By 1945, 1,500 prisoners of various nationalities are in Stalag VI G; 177 are Americans. Air Corps 1stLt Wallace “Wally” Boyes, (0826086) from Mobile, Alabama, captured on January 28, 1945, is one of the senior American POWs; he keeps the men’s morale up and looks after the injured. Wally piloted a B-17G (Tail number 42-97164 nicknamed “Rebel Queen”) in the 749th Bombardment Squadron, of the 457th Bombardment Group, that was hit by flak at 1430 hours that afternoon, about 24,000 feet up during a bombing mission on the Cologne rail yards; the plane crashes near the village of Weibern, west of Koblenz.

Wally and his crew bail out just before the crash. He sees co-pilot, 2ndLt Elmer Felgenhauer, and bombardier, 2ndLt Merritt Turner, floating downward and hears shots from where he believes both have landed, near the village of Kempenich. Both men are declared missing and later listed as killed – possibly by civilians or local military. Wally is lucky. He survives and heads to Stalag VI G.