Lieutenant John J. Layden was a US B-17 Flying Fortress pilot stationed in England in May 1945, during the ending days of World War II with the 336th bomb Squadron of the 95th Bomb Group.. He and his crew flew B-17G 43-38469 on three missions over German-occupied Holland as part of Operation Chowhound, a large scale effort to drop food supplies to the starving civilian population. During the crew’s third mission on May 7, 1945, Lieutenant Layden was flying in formation behind another B-17 (B-17 44-8640), when that plane was hit by German anti aircraft artillery flak and ultimately crashed in the English Channel, resulting in the loss of 11 crew members. Lieutenant Layden stayed over the Channel, circling the downed B-17 at an altitude of 350 feet until a PBY patrol bomber and other boats arrived to rescue the five crew members that survived the crash.



B-17-44-8640 was the last Eighth Air Force plane lost to enemy action in the European Theater during World War II. The Allied food drops in Holland are the subject of historian Stephen Dando-Collins’ book, “Operation Chowhound: The Most Risky, Most Glorious US Bomber Mission of WWII.”

Lieutenant Layden’s last mission was flown over Germany on May 10, 1945 aboard the “New York Express” (B-17-43-38617), taking ground crew on a tour of German cities damaged by the Eighth Air Force bombing that had hastened Germany’s surrender.



Lieutenant Layden’s crew members during WWII were: 2nd Lt David E.W. Chatfield - Co-Pilot, 2nd Lt Bruce R. Hester - Navigator, 2nd Lt Richard E. Farden - Bombardier, Sgt Edwin F. Jernigan - Radio Operator,Sgt Robert L. Singer - Top Turret/Engineer, Cpl Glen R. Hanks - Gunner, Sgt Bobby J. Roderick - Gunner and Cpl John N. Walton - Gunner.