Den 14. maj 1943 styrtede
B-24 41-24278 i Østersøen syd for Ærø (måske omkring
her)
på hjemvejen fra et bombetogt til Kiel (her). (Kilde:
FT 85-76-12)
Flyvehistorisk Tidsskrift skriver: "Under angrebet blev 5 maskiner fra 44 BG skudt ned.
Flyet blev ramt af flak over målet, og kort efter
standsede alle fire motorer."
44th Bomb Group Roll of
Honor pages 65-67 har meget mere og detaljer om alle 10 besætningsmedlemmer!
T/Sgt John L. Susan fortalte at B24-flyene blev ramt af en masse flak over
målet, og de blev fulgt af 6 eller flere tyske fly.
B-24 41-24278 blev svært beskadiget.
Samtaleanlægget var ude af drift, så hver mand måtte klare sig selv. Susan stod
foran det åbne bomberum. "Så jeg tumlede ud, og da jeg vidste at nogle tyskere
ville angribe min faldskærm, forsinkede jeg udløsningen i omkring 60 sekunder.
Da jeg trak i udløseren var højden omkring 2.400 m - -." Han blev reddet af en
fisker.
Susan tilføjede: "Senere fandt jeg ud af at Lt
Hayworth, vores bombekaster, efter at have kastet bomberne, så en granat komme
ind mod forenden af flyet. Han
dækkede hovedet med hænderne. Granaten eksploderede på plexiglas-delen af næsen
og knust plexiglas blev slynget mod ham. Da han blev krigsfange, var
hans hænder og pande mærket af stumper af granat og plexiglas. Uden tvivl
reddede han sine øjne ved at beskytte dem med arme og hænder."
Second Lieutenant Holden R. Haywood fra Terra Haute, Indiana var
Bombardier på
B-24 41-24278. (Kilde:
44th Bomb Group Roll of
Honor s. 65-67)
Som krigsfange blev Haldon R. Haywood ført til Stalag Luft 3 Sagan
(flyttet til Nürnberg-Langwasser). (Kilde:
NARA-AAD)
3 flyvere fra
B-24 41-24278 har ingen kendt grav. 7 flyvere blev reddet
op af vandet. De blev ført til
Tyske krigsfangelejre.
On 14 May 1943
B-24 41-24278 crashed into the Baltic Sea south of Ærø (maybe
about here) on the return flight from a bombing raid on Kiel
(here).(FT
85-76-12)
(Danish) Aviation Historical Review writes:
"5 planes from 44 BG were shot down during the
attack. The plane was hit by flak over the target, and shortly after all four
engines stopped. " (FT 85-76-12)
44th Bomb Group Roll of
Honor pages 65-67 has much more and details of all 10 crew members!
T/Sgt John L. Susan related that the B24s took a
lot of flak over the target and they were followed by 6 or more "Jerries".
B-24 41-24278 was severely damaged.
The Intercom had been knocked out, so everyone was on his own. Susan was
standing in front of the open bomb bay. "So I tumbled out, and knowing that some
Jerries
would attack my chute, I delayed my opening for about sixty seconds. When I
pulled the cord the altitude was about 8,000 feet - -." He was rescued by a
fisherman.
Susan added, "Later I learned that during the
battle, Lt Hayworth, our Bombardier, after dropping the bombs, saw a cannon
shell coming toward the front of the plane
and covered his head with his hands. The shell exploded on the plexiglass nose
section and shattered plexiglass blasted against him. When he became a POW, his
hands and forehead were peppered with shrapnel and plexiglass. He no doubt saved
his eyes by shielding them with his arms and hands."
Second Lieutenant Holden R. Haywood from Terra Haute, Indiana was the
Bombardier of
B-24 41-24278. (Source:
44th Bomb Group Roll of Honor
p. 65-67)
As a POW Haldon R. Haywood was taken to
Stalag Luft 3 Sagan (Moved to
Nuremberg-Langwasser).
(Source:
NARA-AAD)
3 airmen from B-24 41-24278 have no known grave. 7 airmen
were rescued from the sea. They were taken to
German POW-Camps.
This
B-24 was from to
67 BS, 44 BG, 2
BW, 201 PCBW, 8 AF. See
44th Bomb Group with
Roll of Honor and much more. See also
B-17 vs. B-24.
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