World War II
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Fallen
Circumstances:
The bomber crashed into Shi-Ling (Snow Mountain) about 100 miles from Hsinching Airfield (A-1) at Chengdu, China when it ran low on fuel in poor weather and heavy headwinds returning from a mission over Yawata Kyoto, Japan. The entire crew of eleven perished in the accident.
Biography:
Technical Sergeant Edward Crimmins was born in Pipestone, Minnesota on October 11, 1907. He entered the US Army in Spokane, Washington on March 2, 1942 as a resident of Emmons County, North Dakota.
He served in the Asiatic Pacific Theater.
Flight Engineer aboard U.S. Army Air Corps B-29-5-BW Superfortress #42-6286, nicknamed "Praying Mantis."
The bomber crashed into Shi-Ling (Snow Mountain) about 100 miles from Hsinching Airfield (A-1) at Chengdu, China when it ran low on fuel in poor weather and heavy headwinds returning from a mission over Yawata Kyoto, Japan. The entire crew of eleven perished in the accident.
Years later, a Chinese team hiked up a local mountain and found the remains of the crew and plane. Artifacts from the wreck were transported to the US and donated to the New England Air Museum in Hartford, CT where they are on permanent display. The cause of the wreck was determined to be a lack of fuel, and poor visibility which caused them to crash into the mountain
He is buried in Grave 4421, Block 25, Section C, Ft Snelling National Cemetery, Mpls, Minn