Sharp Top Becomes Heartbreak Ridge

The Old Man has so many happy memories of the times at The Peaks but for five families in 1943 the memories of the Peaks are bitter indeed, as World War II intruded on Bedford. It bullied its way into our comfortable world.

February 2, 1943 was clear and cold. A light snow had fallen the day before and Bedford scooted closer to the fire to pass the long night. My mom and her friend Mary (Kenny's mother if you're a regular follower of the blog) had just come out of the Liberty Theater after catching the 7:00 movie. Along with the rest of the town, they heard the roar of engines and looked up to see a plane pass over at a very low altitude. Mom said the plane was so low, she could see lights in the cabin, and she remarked to Mary, "He'd better get higher or he'll never clear the Peaks." It was later determined that when the plane passed over Bedford it was flying at an altitude of only about 2000 feet. Sharp Top is almost 4000.

Just a few minutes later, those with a view of Sharp Top saw the flashes of explosions against the side of the mountain followed a few seconds later by their sound. An Army Air Corps Mitchell B-25 Bomber, like the ones made famous less than a year earlier by General Jimmy Doolittle who led the famous raids on mainland Japan from the decks of the carrier USS Hornet, had flown at its full 230 MPH cruising speed into the side of the mountain. The plane hit the mountain with such force and then exploded so violently that the debris field covered a wide area of the rugged terrain. Parts were in trees, others scattered about like a child's Lego project gone bad.

The accounts of the crash were discussed around Bedford for years to come. As I became older and began to learn of that hellish February night, I grew closer to those involved. One became my little league football coach, another ran a sporting goods store, and still others attended our church. Many of these people were first responders that night and provided accounts of the horror they found there.

After a torturous 3 hour climb during which they had to hands & knees crawl over ice and snow, sometimes slipping and sliding back 50 feet or so, they finally finished their climb to hell. There were no whole bodies. A decapitated torso here, an arm there, and all were mangled and charred, some still smoldering. One rescuer finally left the scene around 10:00 AM the next day, upset because he had not yet located the head of one of the crew members. While it took several days, the bodies were all recovered.

Fast forward about 35 years. A friend of mine and I hiked to the site. Most of the wreckage was still there and I assume, still is. We examined all we could see. The remains of one of the big 13 cylinder Wright Cyclone radial engines, most of it melted but some bolts with safety wires still intact, a landing gear with the rubber wheel still mounted, some miscellaneous scrap metal and part of a wing, a boot heel.......that I could not bring myself to pick up.

As time went by, the crash became more and more a distant memory, hardly talked about. I visited it a couple of times more but then adulthood and family responsibilities intervened and I moved on. The "Bedford B-25" began to retreat from collective consciousness into the back mental filing cabinets.

Around 1999, a new generation of interest became apparent. There was a resurgence of awareness, and an effort was launched to memorialize these 5 brave sons of liberty who gave their lives, training to protect us all.

Second Lieutenant George R. Beninga; Marietta, Minn.
Second Lieutenant Hiliary S. Blackwell, 22; Santa Monica, Cal.
Second Lieutenant Paul M. Pitts, 21, the pilot; Poteau, Okla.
Second Lieutenant William McClure, 22, Indianapolis, Ind.
Corporal Peter J. Biscan, 29; Chicago, Ill.

Barely out of their teens, they died on an icy cold mountain, alone, terrified, far from loved ones and home, and mostly forgotten by the world.

A fund-raising effort was mounted, and finally, on June 2, 2001 a plaque was placed commemorating and paying tribute to their sacrifice.

Once more, as these airmen fly in a higher realm, a grateful Bedford and the world says, "Thank you".