Built at the Glenn L Martin factory at Baltimore, Maryland as a B-26B-50-MA. Accepted by the Army Air Force on 6/12/43. Then went to the 3rd AF staging area at Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia (from 13/12/43). Flown overseas to the UK via the Southern Ferry Route (Listed as Carribean Wing), departing the USA on 26/12/43. The aircraft record card then lists, SOXO A (Europe - 8th AF) on 26/12/43, and SOXO R (Europe - 8th AF) from 19/2/44. Entered service with the 1st Pathfinder SQN on 22/5/44. Shot down by Fw-190 fighters on 2/3/45, whilst escorting the 394th BG to the target at Giessen, Germany. The aircraft flown by Capt. Paul Henry Jones was attacked near the target, setting the left engine on fire. All the crew are believed to have bailed out, but only the pilot, co-pilot, 2nd Lt. Robert L Richmond, and the engineer, S/Sgt. William D DeCew are listed as being captured as POW's. The aircraft crashed at Detschofen, near Wetzler, Germany. The final entry on the aircraft record card lists, GLUE 9AF CON MIA on 2/3/45. According to Horst Weber, the crash location was named Dutenhofen. |