27 September 1944, above the Werra Valley near Eisenach, Germany: As the result of a six minute aerial battle, thirty five 445th Bomb Group B-24 Liberators and three hundred thirty six men who make up their crews, suffer the greatest losses to a single group in a single day in aviation warfare history. Twenty five of the heavy bombers are downed inside of Germany’s borders. Three crash land; two in France and one in Belgium. Two make forced landings at an emergency field in England, and another crashes at Old Buckenham, leaving only four to return to base in Tibenham. One hundred seventeen airmen of the Mighty Eighth’s 445th are killed in action, one hundred twenty one are taken prisoner, and only ninety eight are returned to duty.



Of the 238 men aboard the 25 bombers which went down in Germany, 115 were KIA or subsequently died of injuries. One was killed in the plane which crashed in Norfolk and one was killed in the crash in Belgium, for a total of 117. Another American killed that day was Lt. Leo Lamb of the 361st FG, who belatedly came to our rescue.



B-24H #42-50324 ‘Eileen’ would crash 2 KM South of Ulfen, Germany. Of the nine crewmen on board, three would bail out and survive: 2Lt Walter George (Copilot), T/Sgt Constant Galuszewski (Flight Engineer/Top Turret Gunner), and T/Sgt Sammy Weiner (Radio Operator). They would become prisoners for the remainder of the war.



Four other crewmen would also bail out, but they would not survive. 1Lt Donald Brent (Pilot) is believed to have been killed when his parachute malfunctioned. What happened to the three gunners in the rear of the plane, S/Sgt Woodard Watts (Tail Gunner), S/Sgt Militon Smisek (Waist Gunner), and S/Sgt George Linkletter (Waist Gunner), is not entirely known but they are believed to have been killed by German civilians on the ground.



The two remaining crewmen, 2Lt Harold Mercier (Navigator) and S/Sgt Donald Larsen (Nose Gunner), did not bail out and their bodies would later be recovered from the aircraft wreckage. Both men are believed to have been killed when a number of cannon shells from the German assault fighters struck the nose section of the aircraft.