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| Lt. Benjamin Rolfe was the pilot of the B-17 The Ugly Duckling in the 398th Bombardment Group. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61462067/benjamin-g_-rolfe https://b17flyingfortress.de/en/b17/42-102565-the-ugly-duckling/ |
Benjamin Gideon Rolfe never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on November 27, 1919 in Hunter, Utah. His parents William and Mary were also both born in Utah. His father worked as a farmer until he died in 1927 from myocarditis. His mother took over the farming. Benjamin had four older sisters. By 1940 all of his sisters had moved out and Benjamin was still living with his widowed mother. He had completed four years of high school and worked as a copper mill foundryman helper. At some point he married Fern Crump. They had one daughter.
He volunteered for the Army Air Forces in February 1943. He became an officer and bomber pilot. Ben was assigned to the 601st Bombardment Squadron, 398th Bombardment Group, the last B-17 group sent to Europe.
His final mission was on November 26, 1944. He was flying B-17 42-102565 nicknamed The Ugly Duckling. The target that day was the oil refinery at Misburg, Germany. On the return leg, his bomber was hit by flak and crashed into the inland bay known as Ijsselmeer (Lake Ijssel) in Holland. All nine crewmen were killed. His body was recovered by a fisherman four months later.
His grave is at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park in Milcreek, Utah. His widow may still be alive.
Lt. Rolfe's story can also be found at https://www.fold3.com/page/85005564-benjamin-g-rolfe/stories. It is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project, Utah pilot.
Last year on this date I profiled Bronze Star hero Frank Calhoon and his brother Ned. You can read about Frank and Ned here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
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