• Feb. 16, 1924 – Sept. 11, 1944
• Born in Nashville, TN, and grew up in Hamblin, TN
• Engineering – 1941-1943
• 1st LT – Army Air Corps
• B-17 Pilot, 710th Bomb Sqn, 447th Bomb Grp. Hit by flak, Hyder held the ship level while the crew bailed out. Crashed at Zeitz, Germany.
• Aircraft B-17 with serial number 42-102471 was hit by flak in the No. 2 engine at the primary target area (Bohlen) at about 1243 hrs. A hole in the left wing was also seen at this time. The a/c fell back out of formation, dropping down to cloud level at 22,000 feet, and flew under control for another 25 minutes until lost to view. The airplane began to burn due to heavy battle damage. Lt. Hyder held the ship level while the crew bailed out. The aircraft crashed at Zeitz, Germany.
• Memorial at Spring City, Tennessee

Leroy Hyder (Feb. 16, 1924 – Sept. 11, 1944) was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and grew up in Hamblin County, Tennessee. He attended the University of Tennessee for Engineering from 1941 until he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps in 1943. He was commissioned as a 1st Lieutenant and trained as a pilot flying B-17 bombers. He was deployed to the European Theater as part of the 710th Bomb Squadron, 447th Bomb Group in the Eighth Air Force. On September 11, 1944, 1st Lt. Hyder’s B-17 was tasked with bombing Bohlen, Germany, south of Leipzig. The plane was hit by German anti-aircraft flak on its return flight after successfully hitting its targets. The plane’s #2 engine caught fire and forced it to drop out of formation. 1st Lt. Hyder kept the plane level as the rest of the crew bailed out and remained behind when the plane crashed near Zeitz, Germany. He is memorialized at Spring City Cemetery in Spring City, Tennessee.

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