AERO CLASSICS LLC

For 54 years I had no knowledge of the events after we hit the trees. Recently I received an E-Mail from Mr. Peter Loncke of Belgium. He has spent a considerable amount of time researching crash sites of the aircraft that were shot down on 3-24-45. In his research on the internet he ran across my page and thus began a very rewarding experience. Without the power of the internet, none of what follows would have been known to me.

Not only did Peter find our crash site, but he found a German farmer that actually witnessed our bomber crash. He was 16 years old at the time.

It seems unbeleivable that after this many years I have now found most of the information about what happened after we crashed. Thanks to the efforts of several special and caring individuals. Peter Loncke - Belgium Air Force, Clark Harbach - Colorado, George Kasparian - Massachusetts, Robert Vance - California, Lt. Col. Arthur Arend - Ohio, Captain Jim Flynn - Texas and T/5 George Rollo - Florida.

I now find we crashed near Sevelen, Germany in allied occupied area. Three soldiers of the 131st AAA unit, Lt Col. Arend, Capt, Flynn & T/5 Rollo saw us comming down on fire and in serious trouble. They jumped into a Jeep & raced to the crash site.

We had crashed between rows of TNT in an ammunition dump! Large columns of fire and smoke was coming from the burning aircraft. Both wings were torn off, the tail section was broken off and the fuselage was split open.

Arend, Flynn and Rollo with complete disregard for their personal safety pulled seven of us out of the A/C before the flames forced them out. One body was found in the field with a partially opened chute. The Pilot was left in the A/C as it was obvously to late for him. (His lower legs had been torn off.)

After getting us in an ambulance and a truck they said "Lets get out of here!". The fire was causing the bullets and tracers to cook off causing minor explosions. Small blocks of TNT were also blown flaming into the air.

They ran and approximately 100 yards from the A/C suddenly 74 Tons of TNT exploded! They were blown tumbling for about 50 feet horizontally. Thank God they were not seriously injured except for shattered eardrums.

	Several people were killed that were trying to contain the fires, including some German farmers that were trying to help out. A farmhouse about 1000 ft. away had the roof blown off and the trees we crashed through were blown flat. The aircraft right wing and nacelles is just visible on the very right side of the picture.
	The explosion caused a crater 100 yds. long, 25 yds. wide and 15 ft. deep with water welling up from the shattered rock strata.

I was taken in the ambulance to the 119th evacuation hospital at Kamp, Germany. A few days later I was flown to a hospital in Paris, France. Later I was flown to a hospital in Southern England where I spent a couple of weeks in a burn ward.

Released from the hospital and back to Hethel Airbase on the train I created a lot of interest from other passengers. The wounds, the swelling and the burns were very visible, I answered a lot of questions.

I now understand why I heard the bullets firing, the small explosions and the German voices in my semi-conscious condition right after I was pulled from our crashed aircraft.

I can never thank the fellows enough that saved me from the crash. They received the soldiers medal for their courage, it should have been the congressional medal of honor.