Shot down 8 April 1944 in B-24 42-109827. Killed in Action (KIA).



Our plane was hit with cannon shells in the main gas-lines across the front of the wing above the flight deck, ass well as on the deck above the wing over the bomb bay where all of the oxygen supply bottles were secured. Fire erupted immediately, fed by the fuel, the oxygen and the wind blowing in the open bomb bay. It quickly spread back to the waist positions and forward into the flight deck area. Lt Sprinkle sounded the bail out alarm very soon after the hits and everyone hurried to get set to abandon ship. We in the waist area prepared to leave through the bottom camera hatch, as the heat from the fire soon was igniting the ammo in the waist gun belts. Sgt Charles F. Springs was in the ball turret and he never rotated his turret or raised it in order to get out. As far as I know, he never showed up later. Sgt Stanley Murach and Sgt Jeane M. Hicks, waist gunners, both bailed out ahead of me and were, apparently OK, at that time. Jeane Hicks made it all right, but I have heard nothing of Stanley Murach.