Any student of American history is quite familiar with Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest (photo on the left) and of his daring deeds during The War Between The States but not many are aware that his grandson, Brig. General Nathan Bedford Forrest III (photo on the right) was also a war hero. Brigadier General Nathan Bedford Forrest III was the Chief of Staff in the 2nd U.S. Army Air Force in England and was flying in a B-17 bomber of the 8th Air Force as an observer during a bombing raid on the German U-Boat yards at Kiel Germany on June 13th, 1943. The B-17 in which Forrest was in took enemy fire and was shot down. Gen. Forrest took over the controls of the doomed bomber to allow its crew to bail-out but the plane exploded before he could bail-out. Unfortunately only one of the crew survived, the rest froze to death in the frigid water before they could be rescued. For his heroic actions, Brigadier General Nathan Bedford Forrest III was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross posthumously.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 17:39:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015