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Wyman Daniel Martin collection, 1936-1946, Date acquired: 01/12/2010

 

Summary

Creator:
Highsmith-Smith, Joan E.
Martin, Wyman Daniel, 1922-1943
Extent:
1 boxes
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Wyman Daniel Martin collection, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.fcla.edu/fsu/WWII_10_0007.

Background

Scope and content:

The Wyman Daniel Martin collection contains personal artifacts and ephemera from Martin's time as a middle school student before the outbreak of war and as a dorsal gunner on a B-17 bomber before being killed in action above Holland. These objects include photographs of Martin and the crew of his bomber the "Sky Queen", his various medals which include an engraved Purple Heart, a narrative written by a surviving crewman regarding his final mission, and official documents regarding his internment in Arlington National Cemetary.

Biographical / historical:

Wyman Daniel "Marty" Martin was the tail gunner of a B-17 Bomber from Jacksonville, Florida who was killed in action on July 28, 1943 during an unsuccessful bombing mission during which his bomber was shot down over Holland. His B-17, named "Sky Queen" by her crew, was a part of the 546th Bombardment Squadron and was attached to the 384th Bomber Group based out of Boise, Idaho. The unit was stationed in England from May 1943 until the end of the war, flying over the English channel and bombing targets across mainland Europe. The Sky Queen along with her crew participated in several successful sorties before their fateful mission not long after arriving in England. On July 28, 1943 the Sky Queen was assigned to a sortie with the objective of bombing an aircraft engine manufactory in Kessel, Germany. The Sky Queen took formation along with several other bombers of the unit and made their way across the English Channel before several bombers experienced mechanical issues and returned to base, leaving the few remaining bombers such as the Sky Queen dangerously exposed and unprotected. For reasons unknown, the raid was not cancelled and proceeded along their flight path over the Netherlands. The bomber group quickly found themselves intercepted by a German fighter squadron, Jagdgeschwader 1, a veteran unit flying in Funk-Wolfe 190 fighters who quickly descended upon the formation. These fighters used their veteran knowledge to attack the Sky Queen and other bombers from angles which she could not retaliate with her several defensive machine guns. This resulted in the Sky Queen sustaining heavy damage to her wings and cockpit, with one strafe killing pilot 2nd Lt. William Dietel, Jr. mid-flight, and resulting in the crew attempting to bail out. Unfortunately, before the entire remaining crew could evacuate, the Sky Queen's wing damage caused the aircraft to take a downward spiral toward the ground below, locking the exit doors in place due to extensive g-forces. Only top turret gunner Howard J. Adams and radio operator Ardell H. Bollinger were able to evacuate in time, safely parachuting down into Holland. The rest of the Sky Queen's crew perished, including Wyman D. Martin, when the bomber crashed near Kortwoude, Holland. Of the surviving crew members, Bollinger was able to evade capture and make his way back to England through resistance channels while Howard J. Adams was immediately captured by German occupation forces. Jagdgeschwader 1 pilot Georg Schott is credited with shooting down the Sky Queen and went on to participate in a few more successful missions before he himself was shot down and forced to bail from his aircraft in September of 1943, later perishing due to exposure in the waters of the North Sea. After nearly a year of uncertainty regarding his fate, Wyman D. Martin was confirmed killed in action by Howard Adams when the Red Cross was able to relay the story of the Sky Queen to his unit command. Martin was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and interred in Arlington National Cemetery along with the rest of his crew.

Acquisition information:

Joan E. Highsmith-Smith

Donation

Custodial history:

Transferred from the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience to FSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives in July 2022.

Processing information:

Entered 02/22/17

Arrangement:

Creator Arranged

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open to all researchers.

This collection is in an offsite storage location. Please contact lib-specialcollections@fsu.edu with requests for access or for more information.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to quote, publish, broadcast or otherwise reproduce from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Associate Dean for Special Collections & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Florida State University Libraries as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Wyman Daniel Martin collection, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.fcla.edu/fsu/WWII_10_0007.

Location of this collection:
116 Honors Way
Tallahassee
FL
32306-2047
USA