Nathan Bedford Forrest III, Airman - 4E 117
N 35° 08.327 W 090° 02.078
15S E 770178 N 3892459
Great-Grandson of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forest
Waymark Code: WMF33
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 06/17/2006
Views: 150
CAUTION SHOULD BE USED WHEN VISITING WAYMARKS AND GEOCACHES IN THIS PARK - ESPECIALLY AFTER DARK!!!PLEASE USE CARE AND BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS!!!
United States Eighth Air Force General Nathan Bedford Forrest III was the great-grandson of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. He was killed in 1943 during a B-17 raid over the submarine yards of Kiel, Germany. He was regarded as one of the best and youngest Air Force Generals of his day. He was declared dead and posthumously received the Distinguished Flying Cross. After World War II, his body was recovered from Germany and he was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery - ironically on grounds once owned by his great-grandfather’s commanding officer, General Robert E. Lee. (Source: (
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This historical marker is located in Forrest Park near the gravesite of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest.
The text of the marker reads:
NATHAN BEDFORD FORREST III, AIRMAN
"Brigadier General Nathan Bedford Forrest, III, U. S. Army Air Force, was born in Memphis on April 7, 1905 and was the first American General Officer Killed in combat against the Nazis during World War II. He died while participating in a B-17 bomber raid on Kiel,Germany, June 13, 1943."