An pathfinder B-24 Liberator of the 853rd Bomb Squadron, 491st Bomb Group goes down after a direct flak hit during a raid on Harburg, 17 January 1945. Handwritten caption on reverse: '853rd BS, 491st BG, 17 Jan 1945. Harburg Refinery - Germany. Lead ship going down, pilot [illegible] strain.' Second handwritten on reverse: '17-1-45, 334.' "On 17 January (1945) a single shell dealt the 491st another severe blow. B-24 #42-51481, the Wing Lead aircraft for the mission, took a flak burst between the #3 and #4 engines. The wing broke off immediately and the bomber spun down carrying seven officers and five enlisted men to their deaths. The pilot, Capt. Dean B. Strain, was one of the last original Group pilots still flying missions. Cameras being readied for the strike photos followed the spinning aircraft down to the hard ground of Harburg."