Herbert served as a First Lieutenant & Pilot on B-17G "The Jub Jub Bird" #42-31883, 401st Bomber Squadron, 91st Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. B-17G #42-31883 took off, with a crew of 9, from Station 121, England on a bombing mission over Merseburg, Germany. Shortly after a successful bombing run, they were hit by ground anti-aircraft fire under the pilot's position and crashed and exploded near Leipzig, Germany. This narrative was submitted with the enrollment form.