Born on July 31, 1911, Henry Aurdis Norton was the son of Edwin Forest and Betty A. (Sellers) Norton of Enterprise, Coffee County, Alabama. His father died in 1927 leaving behind his wife and five boys and three girls.

Henry A. Norton would have the distinction of becoming the first soldier from Coffee County to give his life for his country during the second World War. According to his draft registration card, completed on 16 October 1940, Henry was 5’4” tall and weighed 142 lbs. He was enlisted at Montgomery, Alabama, on 17 February 1942, as a Private in the Army Air Forces.

Promoted to Staff Sergeant, Henry Norton was serving as a Tail Gunner aboard a B17 bomber nicknamed the “Picklepuss” (#42-30063) when it was shot down over Belgium. Serving with the 418th Bomb Squadron, 100th Bombardment Group (Heavy) in the 8th Air Force, the four engine plane and its crew of 10 men were on their sixth bombing mission deep into Germany when the plane was disabled and shot down by German fighter planes.

One of 16 bomb groups, they led the 418th Squadron which was assigned to bomb the Messerschmitt factory at Regensburg, Germany. The mission plan was that after the bomb run, the group was to continue east and land in Africa. However, enroute to Regensburg they were attacked by a squadron of ME 109's. One of the German fighters took out one of the engines on Pickelpuss. The plane couldn't keep up with the group anymore and the crew decided to turn around and fly back to their base at Thorpe Abbots in England. After about 15 minutes of flying, they were intercepted by another squadron of ME 109's who managed to set the bomber on fire. Shortly thereafter the plane blew up. Shot down by enemy fighters, the aircraft crashed at Herbesthal Lontzen, 500 meters west of Schmalgraf near Kelmis, west of Aachen in Belgium on August 17, 1943. Four of the crew survived and spent almost two years as prisoners of war at POW camps in Germany. The other six men, including SSgt. Henry A. Norton of Enterprise, Alabama, were killed in action.

The six victims were temporarily buried at Eupen, then at Henri-Chapelle and finally repatriated to the United States, except for the pilot, Captain Robert M. Knox, who is resting forever at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery. SSgt. Henry A. Norton’s body was returned to Enterprise, Alabama, in 1947 and a funeral service was held on December 3, 1947, at Calvary Baptist Church. His mother’s funeral had also been held there less than two months prior to his. He was buried at Calvary Baptist Church Cemeterywith a detachment of the Alabama National Guard providing military honors.

His mother, Mrs. Betty Norton, had been awarded his Air Medal and Purple Heart in November 1944 at the parade field on the Napier Field Air Base. Two of his brothers, PFC Rex A. Norton and Cpl. Joseph Edwin Norton, also served in the armed forces overseas during World War II.

In 2006, a memorial monument to the crew of the Picklepuss was dedicated at Montzen, Belgium, by the sole surviving member, Ernest E. Warsaw, Navigator.

Henry A. Norton's name is on the Wall of Freedom war memorial located in Enterprise, Alabama, dedicated “In honor of those who have fallen on the field of battle to protect our freedom”.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (seewww.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

SBTSProject/Alabama/Coffee

Sources:

Ancestry.com

Newspapers.com

https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/people_details.php?PeopleID=11794

http://www.warmuseums.net/Pages/belgium_me_detailed12.html

Henry A Norton