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- (Research):22 MARCH 1945:
MAJOR Barnes, L.J. (P-CA in Command) 576th KIA
CAPT Grettum, R.B. (P) 579th KIA
1/Lt McCormick,J.J. (CP) 579th KIA
CAPT Swangren, R.(NMI) (N) 579th KIA
1/S Baker, M.(NMI) (R/O) 579th KIA
S/S Egler, M.C. (G) 579th KIA
S/S Sabolish, G.(NMI) (G) 579th KIA
S/S Chatterton, G.A. (G) 579th KIA
This tragic accident occurred as the Group aircraft were descending for landing at Wendling approximately (20) miles west of Great Yarmouth and coming home from a mission to Swabish-Hall airfield, Germany, just northeast of Stuttgart. The detail account by surviving crewmen on what actually what took place in this flare gun mis-firing on the flight deck of the Group Leader's aircraft was given verbatim afterwards, as follows: "INTERROGATION OF CAPTAIN GOOD, LT. BADER, AND 1/SGT. MUNDEN, 23 MARCH 1945, RE: CRASH OF A/C 150, 22 MARCH 1945....a narrative of events compiled from the stories of surviors....alI of whom agreed in all respects...AIC 150 was flying on a westerly heading about 20 miles west of Great Yarmouth at approximately 1540 hours when the fire broke out. To the best of the knowledge of the three crewmembers interrogated the crew was disposed as follows:
Major Barnes in Co-pilot's seat;
Capt Grettum in Pilot's seat;
Capt Good on flight deck near Mickey Set;
Capt Swangren at Navigator's table;
Lt Bader between Pilot and Co-pilot;
Lt McCormick in waist;
T/Sgt Munden in bomb-bay;
T/Sgt Baker; S/Sgt Egler; S/Sgt Sabolish and S/Sgt Chatterton in the waist.
Capt. Good placed a flare in the flare pistol to be fired as they approached the station. He then turned toward the front to watch the approach. As he turned he heard the pop and saw the flash of a flare behind him. He believes that the pistol fell from its mount and fired as it hit the deck. The flare was a double star flare. Capt. Good saw one unit of it which he tried to extinguish; the other unit apparently fell in the bag of flares on the flight deck igniting most of these simultaneously. In a matter of seconds the flight deck was completely filled with very dense smoke, and flames were burning all over the forward part of the ship.
T/Sgt Munden was standing in the bomb-bay when the first flare went off. He came forward to help extinguish it when the other flares went off. Capt Good yelled to him to get a fire extinguisher. He remembers pushing Capt Swangren out of the way who
had in the meantime left the flight deck and was standing in the well immediately behind the flight deck.
T/Sgt Munden tried to get through the flames to get the extinguisher on the flight deck, but he couldn't make it. He saw the flames were beyond control so he yelled for everybody to get out, and then left himself by the rear bomb bay. Lt. Bader tried, ineffectually, to stamp out the flames and then left by the forward bomb bay.
By the time Capt Good reached the nose compartment, flames were burning along the tunnel and in the nose itself, making it virtually impossible for him to return to the flight deck. He told Lt. Peters to bail out, then got his own chute and bailed out. They both left by the nose-wheel door.
The three men who were interrogated agree that the smoke on the flight deck was so thick that it would have been virtually impossible for the Pilot or Co-pilot to see their instruments. Flames were spreading rapidly; the flares either igniting or burning through everything they touched. None of the three can account for Capt Swangren, who was apparently in position to bail out. Capt Good and Lt. Bader both saw him reaching for his chute. They think that either he was struck by a flare or that he returned to the flight deck to help put out the fire. None of the three know anything of any of the men in the waist, but they believe that they were not aware of the danger until too late.... interrogated by Capt Edwin I. Wood, Assistant Station S-2." (End). (Note: My crew and I were flying in the same Low Squadron being led by Mayor Barnes. Our Gunners and myself saw the Grettum plane slowly drop down and begin to go into a slow left turn as we passed by the stricken aircraft. We saw what appeared to be smoke coming from the open bomb bay doors area' and I observed at the time what was believed to be a fiery smoke trail shooting out of the Co-pilot's sliding window in the cockpit area. Later, it has been recounted by others that it appeared Captain Grettum and Major Barnes both had tried unsuccessfully to egress the ship through their respective cockpit sliding windows).
There was a fourth crew member who survived this tragic mishap - 1 St Lt. J.L. Peters flying in the Nose Gunner's turret. The Barnes aircraft was B-24H Model #42-51150, Call Letter "Bar-U", nickname "I WALK ALONE" on it's 42nd combat mission. The crash site was at Whitehouse Farm, Horstead, England. Major Barnes was Commander of the 576th Bomb Squadron at the time of this accident. He had flown many successful missions as "CA" (Acting Command Pilot) in many Lead ships of the 392nd and reportedly, this last mission was the final one of his second tour of combat missions with the Group. He is buried in the U.S. National Cemetery at CAMBRIDGE, England in Grave D-3-20 and his awards were a Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross with (4) Oak Leaf Clusters, however, no Air Medal or Purple Heart citations are noted for him. He was a native of California. Capt Swangren is also interred at CAMBRIDGE as is Sgt Baker in Graves F-i -125 and F-2-142, respectively. Capt Swangren's awards are noted as the Distinguished Flying Cross with (3) Oak Leaf Clusters but no Air Medal or Purple Heart citations are mentioned. Sgt Baker's awards were an Air Medal with (3) Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart. Sgt Baker's home State was New York while Capt Swangren's was Illinois. No information is available on the subsequent interments of the other eight members killed in this regrettable accident.
Both Captain Swangren, Navigator, and Captain Good, Bombardier, had flown as the lead ship Bomb-Nay "team" on McGregor's crew on the 392nd's famous Gotha Mission of 24 February 1944 where the coveted distinguished unit citation was awarded the group for Navigation and Bombing Excellence.
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