Date:	Friday 14 May 1943
Time:
Type:	Martin B-26B-4-MA Marauder
Owner/operator:	322.BGp /452.BSqn USAAF
Registration:	41-17988
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 6
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Bury St.Edmunds (Rougham)/Sta.468 AAF Suffolk, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Bury St.Edmunds /Sta.468 AAF Suffolk
Destination airport:

Narrative:
On 14 May 1943 the field order from the 3rd Bomb Wing called for the maximum number of bombers available to each carry four, delayed action, 500 pound bombs.

The crews were selected and briefed on the mission, which was to fly a low level (250 ft) avoiding enemy radar, from Orfordness on the Suffolk coast to Noordwijk on the Dutch coast, then inland following canals and railways to the target at IJmuiden. The Dutch power plant at Velsen.

The target would be hit at 11 a.m.

Over the target, anti-aircraft fire (flak) was encounter. 41-17988 Code DR-R, Lieutenant Howell's aircraft was damaged.

As the returning formation reached the English coast, a few of the severely damaged aircraft trailed the formation. Lieutenant John Howell’s aircraft was having problems with a damaged aileron and severed hydraulic lines, causing difficulty with control.

Howell’s ship had to remain aloft as the crew desperately attempted to get the landing gear down; however, only the nose gear would extend. After orbiting for half an hour, the decision was made to abandon the aircraft. As Howell held the aircraft steady, the crew bailed out. Then the aircraft suddenly went into a spin, crashed and burned; Howell did not escape. It was thought that the bomber went out of control as he attempted to leave the cockpit.

The crew members, all of whom parachuted to safety, described the ship as "a flying wreck". Lt. Howard E. Short of Sequin, Texas said, Howard flew the plane back to base "blind" because of the oil-covered windshield, with the control stick "flopping about in front of him, useless."

Lieutenant Howell, was posthumously awarded the Distinguish Service Cross. He died, so that others may live.

In the post-mission assessment, all but one aircraft had received battle damage, seven crew members were wounded, one seriously, and one was dead.

REMARKS: First mission for 322BG and first use of B-26 in European Theater of War

https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/aircraft/41-17988 [Last Accessed 21/05/24]
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/the-ijmuiden-raids-none-came-back [Last Accessed 26/05/24]
https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/B-26-Marauder/1941017988.html [Last Accessed 26/05/24]

Airfields of The Eighth Then and Now, by Roger A Freeman ISBN: 0-900913-09-6

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205364575 [Last Accessed 10/06/24] - Photo
Mighty Eighth War Diary, by Roger A Freeman ISBN: 0 531 03735 5

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
23-May-2024 06:50	PaulL	Added
26-May-2024 13:29	PaulL	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ]
27-May-2024 06:04	PaulL	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Source, Narrative, ]
10-Jun-2024 19:35	PaulL	Updated [Source, ]
19-Sep-2024 22:20	Nepa	Updated [Location, Departure airport, Operator, ]
19-Sep-2024 22:21	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator, ]