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On April 8, 1944, a B-24 Liberator Bomber (41-28983) took off from Topeka Army Air Field in Kansas. The B-24, and its crew of ten men of the United States Army Air Corps, were bound for Morrison Field in West Palm Beach, Florida. Morrison Field was a staging base for the theaters of war. After a stopover, the B-24 Liberator Bomber and its crew of ten men would have been en route to Europe via the South Atlantic Ferry Route to join the Allied effort to defeat the Nazi war machine. Shortly after takeoff, the B-24 crashed in the Millington, Tennessee area in the vicinity of the Chickasaw Ordnance Works. Nine men were killed, and one man, Sgt. Richard H. Martin Jr. from Lynchburg, Virginia, parachuted to safety and survived the crash. He was admitted to Kennedy General Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. The nine men who perished in the crash are listed as official casualties of World War II, having died in the service of their country. |
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From the Newspaper: The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Sunday, April 9, 1944 "Exploding in midair with a force that tore it into three pieces, a B-24 Army Liberator carried nine of its crew members to death yesterday morning as it disintegrated over a two mile area just west of the Chickasaw Ordnance Works near Millington." |
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S/SGT ALBERT STEPHEN DOLD is the brother of ANNA, ELEANOR, WILLIAM JR. (my dad), EMMA, and HENRIETTA, who was affectionately known as DOLLY. At the time of his death, his parents, my grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. William Dold Sr. lived at 3 Sheldon Street, Roslindale, Massachusetts. Adding to the tragedy of his death was that ALBERT died on his sister HENRIETTA'S wedding day. Also, Albert's brother, William Dold Jr. was in Italy with the 36th Infantry Division, 111th Combat Engineers Battalion under the command of General Mark Clark. He didn't learn of the death of his brother, Albert, until he returned home from the war. |
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As I stated above, S/Sgt. Albert S. Dold died on his sister's wedding day. He was planning to come home to Roslindale, Massachusetts to attend his sister's wedding. But, at the last minute, an opening became available to become a member of a crew that was under orders to proceed to the European Theatre of Operations to join the Allied war effort against the enemy. He had a choice ... to be home at his sister's wedding, or to defend his country. He could have made the safe choice and stayed. But he didn't. What more has to be said? |
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As of the latest update to this page, S/SGT ALBERT STEPHEN DOLD is survived by his sister Anna Freeman of Woburn, Massachusetts, and his brother, my Dad, William Dold Jr. of Norwood, Massachusetts. |
| June 1942 | Enlisted in Boston, Massachusetts |
| June 1942 thru February 1943 | Cadet Training |
| March 1943 | Keesler Field, Mississippi |
| April - May 1943 | Las Vegas Army Air Field/Gunnery |
| June - October 1943 | Sioux Falls Army Air Field/Radio School |
| November 5 - November 13, 1943 | Home on Leave |
| November 1943 | Salt Lake City Army Air Base |
| November - December 1943 | Kearns Camp, Mississippi |
| December 1943 | Salt Lake City Army Air Base |
| January - February 1944 | Davis-Monthan Field, Tucson, Arizona |
| February - March 1944 | Mountain Home Army Air Base |
| March 1944 | Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho |
| March 20, 1944 | Signed his last Will and Testament |
| March 26, 1944 | Wrote 7 page V-mail letter to his brother |
| April 1944 | Topeka Army Air Field |
| April 8, 1944 | Left Topeka Army Air Field for the ETO |
| April 8, 1944 | Killed in crash of B-24 Liberator Bomber |
| April 12, 1944 | Laid to Rest in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Boston, Massachusetts. |
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Last Letter from S/Sgt Albert S. Dold To his brother, Lt. William Dold Jr,
who was with the 36th Infantry Division in Italy.
3-26-1944 "Dear Bill, The last week we have flown to Reno, San Francisco, Portland, Austin, and so on. Mostly at high altitude with oxygen. At 20,000 feet last nite it was 38 degrees below zero and we had a 6 hour trip to San Francisco. Well that is the story I guess. I have 130 hours in the B24 now and next week we move to staging area and P.O.E. Maybe I'll see you soon.The last bunch from here went to Italy so look for me. If I get home again I'll give Billy Jr. a hug and a kiss for you, also Babs. Be good and take care of yourself. Best of Luck, Al" |
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Albert S. Dold was 22 years old. |
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Site designed, coded in HTML, and maintained by the nephew of
S/Sgt. Albert S. Dold,
Kurt A. Dold
, of Norwood, Massachusetts.
This Web page tribute was originally published on October 1, 2000. The last update to this page was on May 8, 2009. |
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If anyone is upset or offended by this Web page tribute, please accept my apologies, and please contact me at my E-mail address by clicking on to my underlined name at the bottom of this paragraph, and I will address your concerns.
I am merely looking for information and a good photo of each member of the crew of
B-24 Liberator Bomber (41-28983).
I would like to use their individual photos and information on these Web pages as my personal tribute to the men of this crew. Thank you.
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On April 8, 1944 ,S/Sgt. Albert Stephen Dold, the Radio/Gunner, my uncle, was one of nine men killed in the crash of B-24 Liberator Bomber (41-28983).
S/Sgt. Albert S. Dold's name is listed on the Massachusetts World War II Memorial at Battleship Cove, in Fall River, Massachusetts.