42-95822 - Luftkriegsarchiv Köln

During the attack on Euskirchen, the B-26 was hit directly by anti-aircraft fire in its right engine and in the navigation compartment. The engine caught fire, the aircraft lost speed and veered to the right in a controlled manner.

The pilot gave the order to bail out, which two crew members managed to do. Immediately afterwards, the B-26 went into a shallow spin and eventually broke in two at the rear bomb bay. Nevertheless, two further crew members managed to parachute to safety.

The bombardier, 2nd Lt. Gilbert Thornton Bennett, did manage to escape from the nose. However, due to the intense fire, he was unable to retrieve his parachute from the radio room. He therefore crashed with the unmanned wreckage near Euskirchen railway station and lost his life.

He was later recovered by American ground forces who had since advanced.

The crew members who had parachuted out were taken prisoner by the Germans.

the various crash sites from 13 February 1945 around Euskirchen

Part of the crew of 42-95822. Sid Salomon and Jack Barrier were not part of the crew on that day.

Left:

The pilot of the “Black Jack”, 1st Lt. Michael Dobda

The nose of the “42-95822”