Miss Emmy Lou II was the plane I was flying on 21 December 1943. The flight was a combination test hop and practice mission (group practice formation). I believe General Johnson was in the lead plane.

The reason for the test hop was because the plane had been in for repairs after severe battle damage. It seems as though it was about two weeks before this on a mission, I believe, to Bremen. [Editors note: The Bremen mission was 11 December 1943.]

The crew was mostly my regular crew at that time: Jerry Grell, co-pilot; Nicholson, bombardier; Coiner, I believe as navigator; Neeper, engineer; Mason, radio operator; and gunners to be Kooken, Chamberlain, and Boulanger. Nick Garza from armament lived with our guys and was along for the ride. Forrest Clark was along for flying time his first flight since bailing out from R.C. Griffiths famous one-wheel landing.

The flight was routine through till the formation breakup. We were at 800 feet, in the pattern for landing, when there was an explosion in the number two engine. With the explosion, the other three engines quit! Nothing to do but land straight ahead. We were headed right at a large tree but I managed to avoid hitting it with the nose, and it took it about at the #2 engine area. We hit, skidded, hit a ditch and the plane broke open.

I tried to open my seat belt with my left hand, but there was a 90 degree bend at my left wrist broken. So I managed to open the safety belt with my right hand and then went out through the left cockpit window area which was completely broken open.

Upon getting out, I found that I couldnt stand up my left ankle was broken. This probably was caused by the jolt received from the left rudder pedal when we hit the tree. People were coming out of the wreck from all kinds of holes. Fires had started and some shells were exploding. After taking roll, Nicholson, the bombardier, was missing. He and the navigator had been on the flight deck in preparation for landing. When I asked, Wheres Nick Loy Neeper went back into the wreck through the top hatch. I can still see him coming back out while reaching back in and with one hand, lifting the unconscious Nicholson out and dropping off of what was left of the fuselage. For this action, Loy Neeper received a Soldiers Medal welldeserved!

We moved away from the wreck as, by this time, there was quite a fire with lots of exploding shells. I was crawling along as best I could and Neeper was dragging Nick.

About this time a farmer, who owned the field where we crashed, came over and began helping some of us. Surprisingly, General Johnson was one of the first to arrive from the field. He had seen the crash from the air, got down quickly, into his staff car, and came over to us. Somebody tore a gate off the farmers fence and used it as a stretcher to carry me. I remember Gen. Johnson helping to carry it and I was very embarrassed. Nick had regained consciousness by then and was doing a lot of moaning.

We were very lucky! Besides my injures, Grell, co-pilot, had a broken right arm. Nicholsons injuries turned out to be some broken ribs and a bump on his head. Mason, my radio operator, was missing his left ear! When the explosion occurred in #2 engine, metal came through the fuselage and took his ear off completely. Someone found it, and at the hospital it was sewn back on and saved. Amazingly, that was the extent of the more severe injuries.

There was a lot of speculation as to what really had happened. One theory was that there was an unexploded shell in the #2 engine from the battle damage that finally let go. A hole in the underside of the #2 nacelle had been patched, but the projectile not discovered. Another view was that we had encountered ice and that caused all four engines to quit. But I doubt that it would affect all engines at the exact same time. And, it doesnt explain the explosion. Personally, I think the explosion severed fuel lines or the electrical system and that is why they all quit. There was a lot of damage to the left side of the fuselage along the flight deck before we hit the ground.

Grell, Nick, Mason and I wound up in the hospital. Mason and Nick got out in a few days. Some time in January, Grell and I got back to the 44th where it was decided that we would be sent home as hospital patients as it would take so long for our broken bones to heal in the English weather. I remember Col. Dent was opposed to this action, but the flight surgeon, backed up by Bill Cameron, prevailed.