This aircraft was leading the low, left squadron of the 392nd. Shortly after having passed the IP (initial point) between 1246-1250 hours, the squadron passed through heavy cloud banks and the formation was completely broken up. Enemy fighters attacks were reported in this area.

The only information located for this aircraft is that from the MACR, which states, “Between one and four minutes before bombs away, at 1238 hours, this formation flew into a cloud layer formed by a junction of high and low clouds. This aircraft was last seen when the formation flew into this cloud bank. Flak at this time was meager and inaccurate; enemy aircraft were seen in the area, but attacked other units following this formation. The 44th did not have attacks on its formation.”

Sgt. Don W. Montre was reported returned to military control on 27 March, 1945, but no record of him returning to base.

Flight Officer Richfertig had only the notation of “EUS” beside his name on the MACR,

indicating that he survived and was returned to the US. There is no record of him having been a POW.

Louis G. Montre, brother of Don, sent me the following information, “Don was on his seventh mission and was flying as a gunner in the top turret. The pilot (Lt. Hobbs) pulled their plane up when the formation ran into that high overcast to avoid any possible collision with other planes in the formation. But when they broke into the clear at about 23,000 feet, they were attacked by enemy fighters. These attacks caused major damage to their plane and fire erupted in the bomb bay and probably injured or killed other crew members.

“Don made his evacuation from the flight deck after getting out of his turret. He said that he had always kept his chute nearby, put it on quickly and then dove from the flight deck into that burning inferno in the bomb bay. And that was the last he remembered until the cold air revived him. When he regained consciousness, he felt like he was floating, and made a free fall to about three thousand feet. Although badly burned, he managed to reach and pull his ripcord – and the chute opened. BUT his chute had a large hole burned in it – it must have been smoldering as he fell. Again, he was lucky because he came down in a forest, his chute caught on a tall tree, breaking his fall or he surely would have been killed.

“An elderly German woman, her daughter, and a dog found him, helped get him to the ground, and from there to their farmhouse nearby where they tried to give him first aid. He was taken into custody by the Germans and spent five weeks at a German hospital near Wiesbaden where he received treatment. At that time a German doctor, when examining his eyes, said ‘Kaput’.

Don also said that this hospital was full of young American men with grievous wounds, and that he always was moved when he spoke of those young men. Don was 33 years old at that time.

“Eventually, he was moved to the Heppenheim prison camp near Koblenz where he remained until he was liberated on 30 March 1945 by General Hodge’s Third Army. Then he went to a hospital in Paris, still bandaged over his eyes and could not see. He arrived home in April, and then went to a hospital in Palo Alto, California, for extensive plastic surgery and skin grafts. Eventually he regained sight in one eye.

“The first word we heard from him was in March 1945, when he telephoned from New York. Don was sent to California where he spent eighteen months for treatment for his burns. His face"