September 24th Ferry Mission from France to England



(From Microfilm and Group Historical Statistical Reports)



Six aircraft were ordered to fly to England from the new base in France. It was a ferry



mission. En route, the planes ran into severe weather. They separated into individual



aircraft in penetrating the weather. They tried for hours to set down at any base, but poor



visibility prevented even the most experienced pilots from doing so. Three planes



crashed, killing 11 crewmembers. Most tragic note was the fact that many of these men



had completed their operational tours (65 missions) and were awaiting orders to return to



the States. Deaths-- S/Sgt Edward G. Demyanovich. 1st Lt Jack T. Hanlon, 1st Lt Jay M.



Sink Jr., S//Sgt William L. McCarty, Cpl Warren E. Terrian, S/Sgt Jacob E. Crider, 2d Lt

Howard Nolan, Cpl John M. Myers, 1st Lt Frank I. Yawitz and 1st Lt Richard E. Baehr.