Departed target Ploesti, with part of a wing shot off, A/C emerged into a crisscrossing of ships, was unable to catch up with any of the improvised formations ahead and so was a tempting target. Me 109s pounced and shot away most of the tail turret, but George Van Son later crawled out of the debris alive. The attackers incapacitated waist gunners Alfred A. Mash and Robert Wolfe. The radioman, Russell Huntley, gave them both first aid. The fighters then left this bomber they had mangled but could not shoot down. Engineer Frank D. Garrett reported, "Gas was pouring out of a hole near #3 engine; the tunnel was a wreck; the tail turret was hanging by a thread. The left vertical and horizontal stabilizers were almost shot off; the left aileron was practically gone. And there was a big hole behind #1 with oil streaming out." The crew put on their parachutes as the plane heaved and quivered from nose to tail.

Reinhart managed to coax 3,500 feet from his struggling craft but disintegration was at hand. Eighty miles from the target, he turned on the automatic pilot and hit the bail out button.

1 KIA [co-pilot, Charles L. Starr] 8 POW. MACR 2412