In service
July 2, 1942 Fort Bragg
Twin brothers Edward R. Norton and James A. Norton Jr. were obsessed with flying. After two years of study they signed up as volunteers in the US Air Force. They were trained as bomber pilots.
Read the full story at Resources >
Stationed in England
Dec 1942, Bury St. Edmunds
In December 1942 and after their Flight Training Edward and James were sent to England and assigned to the 452nd Bombardment Squadron. At full strength their B-26 Bomb Squadron consisted of 16 aircraft and 377 men.
See Edward & James' Combat route Map 1>
The second mission
May 17, 1943, North Sea
On May 17, 1943 the Norton brothers flew their first mission in a convoy of 11 Martin
B-26 Marauder bombers. Targets: the power stations of Velsen and Haarlem. The mission ended in tragedy. All the bombers were shot down.
See Edward & James' Combat Route Map 2>
Body washed ashore
July 26, 1943 Haarlem
In September 1945 - more than two years after the disaster - Mr. Norton heard from the Mayor of Haarlem that James' body had been washed up on the beach on 26 July. Edward's body was never recovered.
See Edward & James' Combat route Map 3>
Final resting place
after the war, Margraten
After the war, the Norton family decided that Edward & James should find their final resting place in Margraten. Of the crew members killed on 17 May 1943, twelve are buried in Margraten, including James (P-16-5). Edward's name can be seen on the Walls of the Missing along with the names of seven other crew members.
See Edward & James' Combat route map 4>
July 1943 (?)
Registration ARC
September 1943
to the UK
July 16, 1944
Landing on Utah Beach
March 15, 1945
Siegfriedlinie
May 1, 1945
Died on pleasure flight
June 19, 1945
Buried in Margraten, Block RR, Row 12 Grave 290
February 18, 1943
Air Evac. Nurse diploma
Jan. 15, 1944
Married
July 26, 1943
Body washed up
March - Augus 1943
Panama
June 1944
To Europa
November 23, 1943
Departure for Europa
January 20, 1944
Arriving in England
June 1944
Landing Omaha Beach
US enters the war
December 11, 1941
Nazi Germany declares war on the US
Turnaround WWII
Februari 2, 1943
Battle of Stalingrad: Red Army defeats Germans
Memories of
the Norton twins
Norton General Aviation Terminal
Conway, South Carolina
Though the Norton twins died over 70 years ago, the people of Conway, South Carolina still remember the two aviators. In 2010 in memory of the brothers a new terminal at the Myrtle Beach airport, just east of Conway, was named after them: Norton General Aviation Terminal. A plaque commemorates them.
Curtis A. Miller
B-26 piloot
Remembering how it felt to fly German aircraft guns:
"While we were still about five minutes away from the target, we could see what looked like an impenetrable wall of flak over the target The sky was just black with the stuff. I'd have sworn that you could not have taken one aircraft through it without getting shot down. We took 36 craft through and all came back. We all had holes in our aircraft but again no one was hurt and everyone got home safely."
Robert. M. Stillman
Lieutenant Colonel
Remembering his crash on May 17:
"The plane rolled like a corkscrew. I was not scared. I had no time to be afraid. One of the wings was pointing down, I looked out the window and saw the ground coming up. There was nothing more to do. I closed my eyes and waited. The strange thing is that you do not worry at that moment ..."
