Edwin & Edward Hensley, centre

 

Edwin and Edward Hensley were born on 4 December 1925 in the American State of North Carolina. Following the USA’s declaration of war on 7 December 1941, the then 16-year-olds became convinced they should enlist once eligible. The brothers were assigned to 773rd Bomb Squadron and placed in the 453rd Bomb Group at Norfolk’s Old Buckenham Air Base. They had a successful start to their Military Service and played a key role in the life of their Squadron and crew on board a B-24 Liberator.

 

But everything changed on 17 February 1945. The boys flew as Left Waist Gunner and Tail Gunner to a vital enemy oil refinery in Magdeburg. While the crew sat over the North Sea waiting for planes of their comrades to form, freezing February weather and heavy cloud began peeling away defences of their likely victim. The aircraft iced up dangerously, until the Hensley’s B-24 Bomber had to fall out of formation and return to Base. The aircraft appeared to have lost communication, and the Captain rang the bail-out bell. It crashed just nine miles north of Cromer, Norfolk. Four of the 10-man crew were rescued, but of Edward and Edwin there was no sign.

 

The only thing we know for certain is that the two brothers were wholly committed to one another. Born and raised together, it raises questions no-one can answer … questions such as who first decided to go to war? What happened during their final fateful trip … did they jump from the plane together or spend precious last moments next to each other. Perhaps it is that one tried to save the other. Was one hurt in the crash, and his brother could not let him go?

 

 

Whatever happened, their story remains a wartime tragedy, yet also inspiring, a true example of love. It is one of 5,000+ stories displayed at The Cambridge American Cemetery.

 

 

This article is from the Summer 2019 issue of Confound and Destroy