Alumni Hall of Fame
Military Service to Country (2023)

Bernard Edward “Ed” Lengerich, Jr. was a member of the St. Marys Memorial High School Class of 1941. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in September 1942 along with three of his high school classmates from St. Marys – Ed Henning, Bud Henning, and Bill Hardin. Ed Lengerich was sent to Keesler Field, in Biloxi, Mississippi, to attend Airplane Engineer Mechanics School, followed by specialist training on B-17 planes at Lockheed in Burbank, California, and Gunnery School in advanced combat training in Las Vegas, Nevada. He became an Assistant Engineer with the rank of Corporal when he was shipped overseas on the Queen Mary in September 1943.

Lengerich served as a Right Waist Gunner with the 365th Bombardment Squadron, 305th Bombardment Group H aboard B-17 Bomber planes called “Flying Fortresses.” The B-17 carried a crew of 10 with heavy machine guns. Crewman had just a 1 in 4 chance of surviving to complete their tour of duty because of the danger they encountered on every bombing mission. In fact, when Sergeant Lengerich arrived in Europe in October 1943, the 305th had just lost 130 men, or 87% of the crew, in recent bombing missions over Europe.

Lengerich was assigned to fly on a B-17 nicknamed “Miss Liberty Bell.” He flew on 31 bombing missions over various targets in the heart of Germany, 27 on “Miss Liberty Bell,” encountering fierce anti-aircraft flak and returning fire to protect the plane and its crew, and four more missions after volunteering to return to Europe in 1945.

Ed Lengerich’s many commendations and medal citations document his heroism. In the first half of 1944 alone, he was awarded the Air Medal in February for “exceptionally meritorious service,” amended in March and April by an additional three Oak Leaf Clusters, in all awarding twenty successful bombing missions over Europe. In May, his squadron was awarded a Unit Commendation by Brigadier General Bartlett Beaman for “exceptionally meritorious conduct in action,” citing fifty–five consecutive combat missions by the unit in just over four months without loss of aircraft, and praising the unit’s “courageous and effective defenses.” In June, Brigadier General Beaman singled out Staff Sergeant Lengerich for one of the nation’s highest awards for heroism – the Distinguished Flying Cross Medal. The citation states, “for extraordinary achievement, while serving as Waist Gunner of a B-17 Airplane on a number of bombardment missions over enemy occupied Continental Europe. Displaying great courage and skill, Sergeant Lengerich, fighting from his gun position, has warded off many enemy attacks and has materially aided in the success of each of these missions. The courage, coolness and skill displayed by Sergeant Lengerich on all these occasions reflect the highest credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.”

On one occasion, Lengerich is credited with saving his crew from certain death by hand cranking the B-17’s landing gear down after enemy flak set one of the engines on fire. Tragically, the B-17 Lengerich had flown 27 combat missions on- “Miss Liberty Bell” – was badly damaged over Europe and crashed upon landing in England, killing all but two crewman, just one month after Lengerich completed his tour.

He was honorably discharged in October 1945. In addition to the Distinguished Flying Cross Medal and the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Sergeant Lengerich was awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with 3 bronze stars, the Good Conduct Medal, and the Distinguished Unit Badge.

Ed returned to his hometown of St. Marys and worked as a Production Foreman at Crown Equipment Corporation. He married Betty Klosterman, and they had five children. Sergeant Lengerich passed away in January 2008 and was laid to rest at Gethsemane Catholic Cemetery.

 

For his honorable and heroic service to a grateful nation during World War II, the St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Foundation inducts Bernard Edward “Ed” Lengerich, Jr., a member of America’s Greatest Generation, into the St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Foundation’s Hall of Fame for Military Service to Country.