Baraboo

Sergeant Otto Baumgarten

Gunner, Army Air Force

November 3, 1925 – May 7, 1945

Sergeant Otto Baumgarten graduated from St. John’s Lutheran parochial grade school in Baraboo.  He attended Baraboo High School as a member of the class of 1945 and was recognized as an outstanding athlete with an ever ready smile and pleasant disposition. Baumgarten did not graduate from Baraboo High School in 1945 however. Instead, he enlisted in the army air corps in October, 1943, his junior year, and entered active service in February of 1944. He was sent for flight training to Florida, New Mexico and Nebraska and received his wings at Harlingen Field, Texas.

In January of 1945 Sergeant Baumgarten and crewmates left California for Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands on a B-29 they christened the Empire Express. Baumgarten served as a blister gunner (shooting from the “blister” of the plane), “requiring nerves of steel.” He was likely the youngest of the 11-man crew and participated in raids that required a 12-hour round trip from Tinian Island to Japan.

In the spring of 1945, the Empire Express crew successfully bombed several Japanese targets.  However, good fortune ended in May that year on Baumgarten’s fourteenth mission. While flying over Kyushu, Japan and approaching the slope of Mount Hachiman in Oita Province, a southernmost island of Japan, the crew of the Empire Express suddenly saw a Japanese KI-45 fighter flying directly toward them. Piloted by a Japanese pilot named Sergeant Tsutomu Murata, the fighter flew almost head-on into the Empire Express, clipping 10 feet off its wing.  The plane spiraled into the mountainside; eight crewmen, as well as Murata and his co-pilot, crashed into the mountain and died.

But the story was not yet over for Sergeant Baumgarten. He and two others parachuted out of the plane near the village of Sanko-Mura. They were quickly captured and taken to a Nakatsu police station and then to Fukuota. Local outrage over bombings of that city led a Japanese General to declare that the current group of prisoners would be executed without trial. Baumgarten and at least seven others were beheaded on June 20, 1945. Baumgarten was survived by his parents, brother, three sisters and paternal grandparents.

Today, Baumgarten’s story continues through a memorial erected in honor of the crews of both planes on the site where they crashed, now dubbed Peace Park.

Some consider Peace Park a symbol of the possibility of a better, more peaceful world.

Louis Ward Claude

Born -  1868, Devil’s Lake, Wisconsin

Died -  August 10, 1951, Baraboo, Wisconsin

Not many people can claim to have been born at Devil’s Lake just south of Baraboo, but Louis Ward Claude was one person who could. Born just a few years after the Civil War ended, he was named after his father Louis J. Claude who was an immigrant from England. After finding his way to Wisconsin in 1856, the elder Claude built a picturesque Gothic Revival style house named Eagle Crag on the north shore of the lake where he raised his two children with his wife Elvira. Louis W. Claude grew up in a house rich with aesthetic and architectural details. His father continued to dabble in architecture drawing the plans for the expansion of the largest hotel at Devil’s Lake.

After attending the public schools in Baraboo, Claude attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison where he studied architecture and building engineering. Claude attended some classes with his life-long friend Will McFetridge whose father owned the Island Woolen Mill in Baraboo. Claude also met Frank Lloyd Wright while attending the university and all three men, Claude, McFetridge and Wright, each eventually worked as apprentices in the prominent Chicago architectural firm of Adler & Sullivan.

In 1895 Claude set up a solo practice in Madison, Wisconsin but partnered with Edward Starck the following year. Starck was born in Milwaukee and was the same age as Claude. He apprenticed with prominent architects in Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago before partnering with Claude. The firm of Claude & Starck lasted for over 30 years and the firm designed hundreds of commercial, residential, industrial and public buildings in a variety of styles including Tudor, Gothic, Neo-Classical and Prairie School. The firm became known for the design of public library buildings with their first being the Baraboo Public Library which was built in 1903. Claude & Starck would go on to design more than 40 libraries across Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and elsewhere.  Claude designed an office building in 1917 for his friend Will McFetridge who was now co-owner of the Island Woolen Mill with his brother. This building today is the Sauk County History Center.

After dissolving his partnership with Edward Starck in 1927, Claude spent more time at the old family home at Devil’s Lake. He was a strong supporter of his friend Will McFetridge’s campaign to preserve Devil’s Lake for a state park. He consulted with McFetridge over the years from the progression of ideas to the activities that lead to the State acquiring land and improving it for park purposes. Louis W. Claude, his mother Elvira and sister Louise, negotiated the donation of their land for the park with a life tenancy, or 60-year lease of the house, with access to it, and an acre of land. Louis Claude died on August 10, 1951. His sister Louise died just weeks later on September 24, 1951, and their property eventually became part of the Devil’s Lake State Park. Unfortunately, Eagle Crag, the Claude house, was torn down a few years later. The site was later partly developed to become the major access to the north shore of the lake. A memorial built on the location of the house in the 1950s resembled the fireplace mantle. It appears to have incorporated some of the original carved stones in the Gothic arch of its opening. A bronze plaque dedicated it as a memorial to Louis James and Louis Ward Claude.

John Duckens

Born -  18??, slave plantation, Kentucky

Died -  August 1894, Baraboo, Wisconsin

John Duckens was born around 1820 in Kentucky as an enslaved person to an unknown slaveholder. His ancestors are reported to have come from Madagascar. At some time, probably in the early 1850s, John Duckens escaped from slavery in Kentucky and fled to the north into Ohio and Indiana. He is said to have eventually found employment on ships on the Great Lakes. In 1856 Duckens bought property near Mauston, Wisconsin, under the name of Thornton Duckens. Those forty acres in Section 24 just southwest of Mauston were purchased for $300.

In 1863 during the federal draft for soldiers for the Civil War, Duckens’ name came up and he dutifully reported to Prairie du Chien for enlistment. He was turned down however due to his race. He was also told he would still have to find a substitute or pay the $300 that any draftee could pay to opt out of the draft. This left Duckens with little choice but to sell his property near Mauston in April of 1864 for $200, apparently turning over this money and $100 to the draft board. This put his financial future in jeopardy and Duckens who was reportedly planning to be married remained single.

Duckens ultimately ended up living in Baraboo, perhaps first living with the Maxwell and Hill families on the south side. Col. James Maxwell of Baraboo was known to have harbored fugitive enslaved people in the cellar of his home on the south side. During the 1870 census, John Duckens is listed as living with the William and Nellie Hill family which was connected to the Maxwells. By the 1880 census Duckens had established a house for himself along with another former enslaved man, Felix Clarke, next to the August Ringling family. Four years later, several of the Ringling sons would start their circus in Baraboo.

Duckens established a livery business with a team of ponies and a buckboard. His services were sought to do everything from plow gardens to haul materials. Duckens also took passengers to the Dells, Pewitt’s Nest, Devil’s Lake and other points of interest. Once a summer he would invite a small group of neighborhood children to ride with him to Devil’s Lake where he would supervise an outing. One of these children later wrote, “If he approved of our fathers and mother; knew them to be good respectable people of the town, he would often invite us to take a ride with him.” Duckens was also musical. He could play the piano and organ and accompany himself in singing.

John Duckens died in August of 1894 and many people followed his casket to the grave in Walnut Hill Cemetery in Baraboo. Two distinct Duckens obituaries appeared in Baraboo’s newspapers of the time. The Baraboo Republic stated that Duckens was, “In every way a gentleman, and his acts and conduct gained for him the friendship and kind wishes of all.” The Baraboo News stated, “He had a superior mind, good principles and an unreproachable character and did many favors to his friends and acquaintances.”

 A marker was placed at the grave in 1915 by Mrs. Julia Crouch, whose daughter grew up riding John Duckens’ ponies. In 2011 the marker, now severely eroded, was replaced by the Sauk County Historical Society with the exact same wording.

Belle Case La Follette

Born -  April 21, 1859, Town of Summit, Juneau County, Wisconsin

Died -  August 18, 1931, Washington D.C.

At the time of her death in 1931, The New York Times called Belle La Follette "probably the least known yet most influential of all American women who have had to do with public affairs in this country." She is best remembered as the wife and helpmate of Robert "Fighting Bob" La Follette—a prominent Progressive Republican politician both in Wisconsin and on the national scene—and as co-editor with her husband of La Follette's Weekly Magazine.

Belle Case was born on April 21, 1859 in the Town of Summit, Juneau County, Wisconsin. Her parents Anson and Mary Case were Unitarian of English and Scottish descent and they moved their family to rural Baraboo when Belle was around one year old. Belle attended school in Baraboo after which she enrolled in the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1875 to 1879 where she excelled as a student, virtually never missing a class or arriving late.  While still in college she met her future husband Robert “Bob” La Follette who was also attending the university. While Belle excelled in her studies, Bob became notorious for poor grades but also a clear, charismatic intelligence. Upon graduation, she taught high school in Spring Green and junior high school in Baraboo. Their companionship eventually led to an engagement and Belle and Bob were married on December 31, 1881.

Belle remained an activist throughout her life, but did note that "the supreme experience in life is motherhood," and enjoyed taking care of their children. Their first child, Flora Dodge La Follette, always called "Fola," was born on September 10, 1882. Belle would return to the University of Wisconsin Law School as a wife and mother and became the school's first female graduate in 1885. Her other children were Robert Jr., born in 1895, who succeeded his father as Senator; Philip, born in 1897, who became Governor of Wisconsin; and Mary, born in 1899.

While Belle never practiced law she did assist her husband Bob in numerous cases. In the 1890s, she wrote a brief that broke new legal ground and won a case before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Bob would later call her his "wisest and best counselor." Belle also lectured on women's suffrage and other topics of the day. In 1909 she edited the "Home and Education" column in the magazine started by her husband, La Follette's Weekly Magazine, which later became The Progressive.

Belle also spoke publicly against segregation and for women’s suffrage. When suffragists made appearances at more than 70 county fairs in 1912, Belle Case visited seven of them in 10 days. In 1915 she helped found the Woman's Peace Party, which later became the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. After World War I, she was active in the Women's Committee for World Disarmament, and helped found the National Council for the Prevention of War in 1921. She and other women influenced governments to convene the Naval Arms Limitation Conference in 1922.

After her husband's death on June 18, 1925, his seat in the United States Senate was offered to her, but she turned down the opportunity to become the first woman Senator. She died on August 18, 1931 in Washington D.C. and was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison.

Did you know?

That while teaching in Barabooo one of Belle’s students in was John Ringling, of whom she later wrote "... when John read a long account -- interrupted with giggles from the school -- of the side shows he and other boys had been giving every night, I lectured him and drew the moral that if John would put his mind on his lessons as he did on side shows, he might yet become a scholar. Fortunately the scolding had no effect."  

William H. McFetridge

Born -  April 7, 1869, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin

Died -  December 29, 1926

The name McFetridge is most closely and appropriately associated with the Island Woolen Mill that once operated in Baraboo, but William McFetridge was a man of far-reaching interests and sophistication that went well beyond the boundaries of the former woolen mill.  Both he and his brother Edward were reluctant to enter the milling business their father James owned in partnership with Henry Rich. Both pursued higher education and aspired to other careers. William attended engineering classes at the University of Wisconsin at Madison along with his friend Louis W. Claude who went on to become an architect. When James McFetridge died in 1893, Edward left his job at the Baraboo National Bank and William, only 24 years old, came home from art school in Chicago to help manage the mill.  Partial owner Henry Rich wanted to sell his share of the mill to the brothers, but they resisted for eight years, until in 1901 they made a final commitment to the operation. Edward became the president and day-to-day manager of the mill, while William oversaw the hydroelectric plant, construction projects and worked in sales. The reluctant participants would grow the Island Woolen Mill into the largest employer in the county and one of the largest woolen mills west of Phildelphia.

Inspired by the natural beauty in and near Baraboo, William became an early advocate of a state parks system in Wisconsin.  Beginning in 1902, Will McFetridge actively promoted broadly his idea of preserving Devil’s Lake and its watershed for public enjoyment. The breath-taking beauty of the lake had been a favorite of tourists, especially after 1871 when the Chicago & North Western Railway line was built to Baraboo, along the east shore of the lake. Both McFetridge and Claude had observed the growth of commercial tourism at the lake over the years. They also witnessed deforestation in the development of farms surrounding the lake, the logging of old-growth pines, the destructive quarrying of the quartzite on the eastern bluff adjoining the lake, and became concerned about the prospect of additional roads, summer homes, and the like. Will McFetridge did much to promote the concept of creating a Devil’s Lake State Park. He hosted tours of Devil’s Lake and invited decision makers and influential people alike to visit and engage in discussions on the topic. He spoke with local, Madison-based, and statewide clubs and organizations, and orchestrated tours and trips to gain support for the effort.

Governor James O. Davidson appointed McFetridge to Wisconsin’s first State Park Board in 1907.  Two years later the Board issued a report calling for the creation of parks in Door County, at Wyalusing, Wisconsin Dells and Devil’s Lake — three of which were created.  Devil’s Lake officially became Wisconsin’s third state park in 1911 and McFetridge kept up an active correspondence about its continued improvement with state officials until shortly before his death.  

McFetridge partially retired from business in 1917, in part because of ill health, but also because of his intense patriotism.  When the United States entered World War I that year, McFetridge was convinced that Sauk was not sufficiently hawkish. He lobbied every political leader, from President Woodrow Wilson and Wisconsin’s Senators down to all the town chairmen, urging them to help get Sauk totally behind the war effort.  He headed the county Defense Council, supervised recruitment of soldiers, boosted bond drives, and fervently backed the ultrapatriotic Loyalty Legion.

In 1918, illness forced McFetridge to make his home much of the time in southern California.  He spent his last days there passing away in 1926, but was brought home to Baraboo to be buried in the country that inspired his vision.

Albert J. Ochsner

Born -  April 3, 1852, Baraboo, Wisconsin

Died -  July 25, 1925, Chicago, Illinois

Upon his 1925 death, an obituary published in the Journal of the American Medical Association called Dr. Albert J. Ochsner, “One of the most eminent surgeons in the United States.” Dr. Ochsner was one of the recognized leaders of the medical profession and could be compared favorably with such prominent surgeons as the Mayo Brothers or Dr. John B. Murphy. Ochsner had come a long way since the time of his birth in 1852.

A native of Wisconsin, Albert Ochsner worked as a school teacher to pay for his University of Wisconsin bachelor’s degree. He graduated M.D. in 1886 from the Rush Medical College, Chicago and subsequently studied in surgical clinics in Vienna, Berlin, and London. After he returned to the U.S. and started his medical practice in Chicago, he joined the staff of Augustana and St. Mary’s Hospitals in 1896. He became a professor of clinical surgery at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, a position he held until his death in 1925. His lectures were highly valued for their clearness of style and erudition and he was afforded many honors.

In 1912 Dr. Ochsner was a co-founder of the American College of Surgeons, (ACS) and believed that every ACS fellow had a responsibility to ensure that the profession continued to improve and grow. Dr. Ochsner was the college’s first treasurer in 1913 and the first chair of the credentials committee that evaluated the membership applications of thousands of surgeons who sought ACS Fellowship. In 1913 Dr. Ochsner was a highly vocal proponent of the entry of Daniel Hale Williams, MD, an African American surgeon from Chicago over the protest of some ACS members. Dr. Ochsner served as President of the ACS from 1923 to 1924 and in his presidential address he said, “It is the duty of every Fellow to encourage young surgeons in the acquisition of the necessary qualifications [for ACS Fellowship], because it is exceedingly important to this country to give proper development to the next generation of surgeons.” Ochsner also served as the president of the Clinical Congress of Surgeons of North America (1910-1912) and the American Surgical Association (1924).

Dr. Ochsner became known as an advocate for treating appendicitis with the “starvation method,” which helped reduce the number of surgical procedures that arose when guidelines for the diagnosis and pathology of appendicitis were created. In 1906 he published a widely known handbook on the disease, in addition to several books on the practice of surgery and a book about hospital management and construction. His most important medical article concerned peritonitis as a complication of appendicitis.

In 1918 when his parents’ estate in Baraboo was being contemplated for a park, Ochsner donated his portion of the estate and the city purchased the remaining interest from his four siblings.
The following year Ochsner Park was opened as Baraboo’s first public park.

Dr. Albert Ochsner died in 1925 and was buried with his parents at a free congregational cemetery near Denzer, Wisconsin.

Did you know?  The zoo at Ochsner Park was started in 1926 by Baraboo Park Superintendent Clifford Campbell as a way to attract more people to the park.

PFC Harlan Page

28th Regiment – US Marines 5th Division

March 29, 1925 – March 9, 1945

 Harlan L. “Bro” Page was born in Baraboo in 1925 and graduated from the Baraboo High School in 1943. He enlisted in the US Marine Corps and was trained in San Diego, California. He became part of the 5th Marine Division of the 28th Regiment which was sent to fight in the Pacific Theatre. The 28th Regiment was heavily involved in the battle against the Japanese for the island of Iwo Jima which was some of the bitterest fighting in the history of the marine corps. Harlan Page was killed on March 9, 1945 when he stopped during an attack to administer first aid to a wounded comrade.  

A letter to his parents from the personnel officer of the 1st battalion, 28th marines stated:

“Harlan met his death in the following manner: Moving forward in the attack, he was doing a most commendable job of leading his squad. During earlier fighting he was recognized for his leadership and ability to act correctly under fire. As the attack continued, Harlan, time and again, led his men into the enemy positions. He had stopped to administer first aid to a wounded comrade when he was hit in the chest by gun shot. Thus in the act of valor and humanity he passed away suffering no pain whatsoever. You may be assured that Harlan gave his life as a true marine, gloriously, fearlessly and proudly.” 

The body of Harlan Page was brought back to Baraboo in 1948 and was interred at St. Joseph’s Cemetery.

Private First Class Don Simonds

Paratrooper, Army

October 17, 1918 – September 19, 1944 

Private First Class Donald Simonds, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold E. Simonds, was born in Baraboo on Oct. 17th, 1918. He received his education from St. John’s Lutheran school and Baraboo High school, from which he graduated with the class of 1937. 

After high school, Simonds was an employee of the Wisconsin Power and Light Company and was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church. He entered military service in Feb. 1942. While serving as a veteran paratrooper in the Sicily and Italy campaigns of World War II, Private Simonds was killed in action in Holland on September 19, 1944.

He was survived by his parents, his brother Harold Jr., other relatives and a large circle of friends.

Beyond the gate-beyond the wall

Beyond the realm of time and space

Lies happiness surpassing far

The joys of any earthly place

And those who have a loved one there

Find comfort in the truth well-known

That life is ruler over death

And love will never lose its own

Tech Sergeant George Sprecher

Aerial Engineer, Air Corps.

August 31, 1922 – October 24, 1943

George Sprecher was a happy-go-lucky spirit who graduated from Baraboo High school in June of 1941. Two weeks later he enlisted in the air corps. for service in World War II., one among the second group of men from Baraboo to volunteer. He completed basic training at Jefferson Barracks in Missouri. 

Next he went to Chanute Field in Illinois for technical schooling. He graduated from there on December 31, 1941, six months after he graduated high school. Through June of 1942 he was stationed in Portland, Oregon, followed by two months in Westover Field, Massachusetts. Finally, on August 5, 1942, he was sent to England. After a 3 months’ stay, he and other flyers completed a 1,500 mile non-stop flight to Africa.

Sprecher had a brief but brilliant military career as a member of the Northwest African air force troop carrier command, in which he served as an aerial engineer.  In July of 1943, Sprecher was cited for “unmatchable American skill and daring” for his work in landing para-troopers in the Sicilian campaign and soon after was awarded the Oak Leaf Cluster. During this time a sailor recounted seeing a big bomber flying over the Mediterranean with the words “Pete Sprecher, Baraboo, Wis.” on the bottom of the wing. It was also during this time that Sprecher sent his last correspondence to his family. 

Technical Sergeant George Sprecher died in French Morocco, North African area, on October 24, 1943 at the age of 21. He was survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. N.E. Sprecher of Baraboo, and seven brothers and sisters, maternal grandparents, paternal grandmother, and a fiancée, Miss Virginia Schara of Milwaukee. 

Alma Lux Waite

Born -  February 12, 1883, Baraboo, Wisconsin

Died -  July 18, 1981, Baraboo, Wisconsin

Alma Lux Waite couldn’t have remembered the first performance of the Ringling Brothers Circus when it was held in Baraboo in May of 1884. She was only one year old at the time. She would however grow to be very familiar with the Ringling brothers, because after all they were her cousins, or first cousins once removed to be exact. The family connection goes back to her mother’s mother, Katherine Juliar who had two sisters who also settled in Baraboo with their respective husbands. Maria Magdalena Juliar married Gottlieb Gollmar and they settled in Baraboo in 1851. Maria Salome Juliar married August Ringling and they first moved to Baraboo in 1855. Alma’s grandmother, Katherine Juliar, married Henry Moeller and the couple had four children including Mary, Alma’s mother. Mary Moeller was first cousin of the Ringling brothers. In fact Mary had 19 cousins combined in the Ringling and Gollmar families. A far cry from her own family which consisted of only three surviving children, herself and her two brothers, Corwin and Henry Jr. In 1881 Mary Moeller married my Frank Lux the couple had their only child Alma  in 1883. The family lived in Milwaukee for a while where Frank Lux had a saloon but eventually they rejoined their extended family in Baraboo where Alma’s grandfather and my two uncles had a carriage and wagon making shop.

Alma grew up with the circus. Here Ringling cousins started their circus in 1884 as a wagon show and when she was seven they switched to a railroad show. The following year, in 1891, several of her Gollmar cousins started their own circus which also had its winter quarters in Baraboo. Her grandpa Moeller and his two sons eventually started making and repairing circus wagons for the Ringling Brothers and Gollmar Brothers circuses.

Alma’s father died in 1918 and her mother started taking in boarders. One of them was a young man named Arthur Waite who was a locomotive engineer. Arthur and Alma were married around 1921 and the couple never had any children. The household however included Mary’s uncle Corwin Moeller who lived with the Waites until his death in 1946. When he died he left nearly his entire fortune to his niece Alma. The money grew and after Arthur’s death in 1964 Alma begun make philanthropic gifts around the community. One place near and dear to her heart was Circus World Museum which had opened in 1959. Alma paid for the hippodrome building at the museum and named it in honor of her Moeller uncles. She also gave other gifts to Circus World and to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom. But she didn’t give it all away in her lifetime. Shortly before she died in 1981 at the age of 98 she drew up her final will and bequeathed the majority of her estate to the City of Baraboo. The amount was nearly $780,000. Since its inception the Alma Waite Fund has helped finance everything from the Concerts on the Square to a new fire truck. Only a portion of the interest may be spent each year and the principal has grown to over $1.1 million.

Sergeant Ed Yoss

B-25 Engineer, Army Air Corps

August 4, 1922 - August 6, 1945 

Sergeant Edward Yoss graduated from Baraboo High School in 1942. He entered the Army Air Force to fight in World War II in September of that year, following a stint at Badger Ordnance Works. Yoss first flew with the “Air Apaches” in the Fifth Air Force of the United States Pacific Air Forces. Located in the Philippine Islands, the “Air Apaches” was a veteran 345th Bombardment Group of strafer bombers. As an aerial gunner on a B-25, Corporal Yoss received special training to prepare for combat flying.

Sergeant Edward Yoss served three years in the army, including 6 months overseas in the China-Burma-India theater of operations.  He was killed in action over Kyushu, Japan on August 6, 1945. At the time, he had been stationed on Ryackers Island, just off Okinawa. He was survived by his mother and three sisters. Lt. John Neff of the Madison recruiting office posthumously awarded the Air Medal to Yoss’s mother, Mrs. Charlotte Yoss, in November of 1945. 

Air Medal Citation:

“For meritorious achievement while participating in an aerial flight to Saigon, French Indo-China, on April 28, 1945. Sgt. Yoss was the engineer-gunner in the crew of one of thirteen B-25 aircraft which made an attack on enemy shipping and installations at Saigon, one of the first low-level strikes ever made against this target. Though heavily concentrated anti-aircraft fire, before, during and after the bombing runs destroyed three of the bombers and damaged every one of the remaining ten, the B-25 crews completed their attacks and sank nine merchant ships and a 75-ton barge; damaged seven other vessels, another 75-ton barge, and a sea crane; and destroyed and damaged barracks and warehouses on shore. This crew strafed and bombed all available targets, destroying a group of small buildings and setting off an explosion in a group of warehouses on shore. As the bombers left the target area through continuing anti-aircraft fire, enemy planes intercepted but were driven off, and the formation returned to its base. The courage and devotion to duty displayed by Sergeant Yoss during this flight reflect great credit on the United States army air forces.”