21 year old Harold H. Pinder knew his attempt to escape capture
by the Germans was over when the first hand grenade was tossed into
the cellar of a Belgian farmhouse where he was hiding. The potato
masher-shaped grenade didn't explode. Neither did at least one
other that landed nearby.
Lt. Pinder, the pilot of a B-24 bomber that was shot down in the
Ardennes by German fighters in January 1944 when returning from his
10th mission, spent the rest of the war in a prisoner of war camp
in Belgium.
Mr. Pinder was born in McKees Rocks, graduated from Butler High
School and went to war. He was a member of the 8th Air Force, 44th
bomb group, 67th squadron. The name of his group was the "Crazy 8
Balls." Sky Queen was the name of his plane. He and his crew flew
out of Shipdham, England. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying
Cross with Bronze Star.
Harold H. Pinder died on October 21, 2008 at the age of 86
years