Evaded (EVD) Suffered mechanical failure and crashed near Toul on 9/5/44 in B-17 My Baby 42-107033.



Following training in the USA Kelley and his crew collected a 'brand new' B-17 and ferried it across the Atlantic. Following further Ground School they were assgined to the 91st BG at Bassingbourn.



Kelley's second mission - and his first as pilot - was on 5th September 1944, target I. G. Farben. They encountered heavy cloud all the way and had to keep climbing while Nos 3 and 4 engines were losing power. The Squadron Commander ordered him to turn back and attempt a crash landing or bail out. After leaving the formation they were attacked by ME 109's, killing the gunner and shooting out the elevator control, and Kelley gave the order to evacuate. He landed in a small wood and was overjoyed to hear and old couple and a boy speaking French, a language he understood. The locals took over and rushed him to an underground storehouse, part of the Maginot Line. There he found his navigator and co-pilot plus two Russian soldiers who had been there for 11 months! The FFI (French Resistance) took over, gave the civilian clothes and took them to a safe house where Kelley had news of the rest of his crew. Patton's army was advancing towards them and it was considered best to just sit tight and await events. After a few days a jeep with three Americans appeared and agreed to take them through to American lines. It turned out they were AWOL and the jeep stolen but they did drop Kelley and his three crew members off at an American staging area. They hitched rides to Paris where they stayed a couple of days 'the most dangerous part of the journey' said Kelley, a blacked-out city awash with German deserters, AWOL G.Is and German sympathisers! They eventually got back to Bassingbourn in time to join the party celebrating 200 missions and a week later returned to the USA.