Bomber Mountain: A Mystery in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains

All ten members of the crew died in the tragic event. Some rescuers, however, feel that at least one of the crew may have miraculously survived the crash. During the recovery operation, one well-clothed man was found propped next to a rock. Beside him were an open Bible and his open billfold with family members’ pictures lying next to him. Among the wreckage were letters to and from sweethearts and wives of the crewmembers, an artist’s kit of paints, well-preserved clothing and flight jackets, and several other personal effects of the crew. Several items are surely buried underneath the massive boulders. Today, much of the wreckage remains, although more and more curious spectators are carrying off pieces of the plane as mementos instead of preserving the site. Dispersed across a wide radius are the plane’s engines, landing gear, pieces of the fuselage, the plane’s tail section, the horizontal stabilizer, a radio, pieces of a gun turret, and several other massive pieces of twisted aluminum that smashed into the mountainside.

In honor of the fallen men, the Sheridan, Wyoming War Dads and Auxiliary suggested that the Forest Service name the undistinguished mountain, Bomber Mountain. Following this recommendation, the Forest Service christened the 12,887-foot ridge on August 22^nd, 1946. The Sheridan War Dads and Auxiliary also placed a plaque recognizing the fallen men 1.5 miles southwest of the crash site on the shores of Florence Lake in late August 1945. The memorial reads: “The following officers and enlisted men of the United States Army Air Force gave their lives while on active duty in flight on or about June 28^th, 1943. Their bomber crashed on the crest of the mountain above this place. Lieutenants: Leonard H. Phillips, Charles H. Suppes, William R. Ronaghan, Anthony J. Tilotta; Sergeants: James A. Hinds, Lewis M. Shepard, Charles E. Newburn, Jr., Lee V. Miller, Ferguson T. Bell, Jr., Jake E Penick.”

Despite the mystery surrounding their tragic deaths, this crew is now forever memorialized in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains. Their sacrifice to their country will always be remembered.