Memorial

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Vito Portanova graduated from Jersey Shore High School.

He volunteered for the Air Corps of the Army of the United States in Albany, New York on 4 December 1942.

The airplane was attacked by enemy fighters. Crew members of other airplanes in de group saw the left engine and left side burning and reported it crashed on a hillside.

One crew member was taken prisoner, five men were killed.

From Brian Gibbons, 397th BG Historian: Co-Pilot Robert Altman is the only known survivor from this aircraft, despite four being reported as having parachuted out!? At least two of those, possibly all four, along with some other aircraft crewmen, were attacked after they had landed near Daun, Germany. The full details of the attack, which formed part of a potential war crimes trial, have unfortunately gone missing from the files that were created for that trial. As no specific individuals could also be found or confirmed, nobody was ever brought before a court for what was clearly a horrendous action. The attack resulted in several men being killed or so severely beaten that a German Army officer administered a 'Coupe de Grace' to end some of their lives. Only that unidentified officer, and the few that witnessed or where involved in the attack(s) will ever really know a small part of the events of that day.

S/Sgt Portanova was killed on his 61st mission.

His nephew, Captain of the US Merchant Marine Jim Albert, shared the following story about his uncle's Purple Heart: "My Uncle's Purple Heart Medal was never received by my family. In early 2018, I reached out to the Commander of the local chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart to see if my Uncle's PH Medal could be located. In a few months, he contacted me to say the MOPH found his medal in storage in St. Louis, MO. On August 7, 2018 (National Purple Heart Day), the Medal was presented to me in a ceremony in Cape Coral, FL with his name engraved on the back."