10/20/2025
81 years ago on October 19, 1944, 1Lt Martin Mullane made the ultimate sacrifice; staying at the controls of his stricken B-24 to give his crew time to bail out, he was 27 years old…
Martin James Mullane was born on March 21, 1917 in Alliance, Nebraska. His mother was Willa Mae Brumbaugh, and he grew up with a stepfather Christian Ludy.
He also had two younger half-sisters and was married to Blanch Mullane.
He enlisted in the USAAF, and became a B-24 pilot with the 704th Bomber Squadron, 446th Bomb Group at RAF Bungay.
On October 19, 1944, 1Lt Mullane was the pilot of B-24J 42-50681 “Slightly Dangerous” on a bombing mission to Mainz, Germany.
After dropping their bombs, they fell out of formation with an engine out due to flak. All of the crewmembers bailed out to be taken prisoner except for 1Lt Mullane who stayed at the controls. The Germans found his body in the wreckage of the B-24 and buried him.
Postwar the remains of 1Lt Martin Mullane were recovered from Germany and reburied at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in the Netherlands - Plot F Row 5 Grave 3.
