Delivered Denver 11/5/43; Dow Fd 2/6/43; Assigned 331BS/94BG [QE-Z] Earls Colne 5/6/43; Rougham 13/6/43 as "NATURALS"; Missing on mission to Le Bourget, France 14/7/43 with Ed Purdy, Carroll Harris, Navigator: Chas Lichtenberger, Bombardier: Ed Jones, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Dick Marquardt, Radio Operator: Chas Sprague, Ball turret gunner: John Smith,Tail gunner: Francis Santangelo, foto-Capt Jeff Dickson from 4th Bomb Wing (9 Killed in Action); Waist gunner: Joe Cornwall,Tail gunner: Larry Templeton (2 evaded capture); coll enemy aircraft, crashed Evreux, Fr. Missing Air Crew Report 116. SALTY'S NATURALS.



On 14 July 1943 while over Evreux the formation which the aircraft was attacked by enemy aircraft. Their attack had been signalled by the groups commanding officer, and the fighter immediately sought to divide the bombers. On board 'Salty's Naturals' navigator Charlie Lichtenberger was first to sound the alarm, and the aircraft shortly came under enemy fire from three FW 190s.



A second round of enemy fighters engaged with the lead aircraft of the formation: 'Good Time Cholly II' flown by Saltsman, 'Cholly's' crew succeeded in destroying one of the enemy fighters which exploded in mid-air. While 'Cholly' managed to dodge the debris from the exploding aircraft, the broken fuselage of the damaged FW-190 crashed into the left wing of 'Salty's Naturals' breaking it off.



The collision immediately set the aviation fuel in the aircraft alight, and caused the aircraft to burst into flame, at the same time, with the left wing damaged, the aircraft lost lift and went into a violent spin. The pilot Ed Purdy briefly succeeded in regaining control for long enough that Joe Cornwall and Frank Sant'angelo bailed out of the aircraft. Though the waist gunners had been thrown from their positions during the collision and lost their oxygen and radio lines they their way out of the crew door. While parachuting to safety Cornwall witnessed Larry Templeton also bail out of the aircraft, Charles Sprague also managed to make his way of their aircraft, but his parachute failed, causing him to fall to his death. The remaining members of the crew did not escape before the aircraft crashed. Frank Sant'angelo also died sometime after escaping the aircraft.