Final Flight

This is the account of the final flight of Blair Harman. He was the radio operator on "Big Red" The account is taken from the 3rd Air Division's "Big Red" (link no longer works) web page.

On March 27th 1944, 21 aircraft from 388th Bomb Group set off from KNETTISHALL at 10.19 hours, their target the airfields, port and factories of BORDEAUX in FRANCE. They were part of a total of 546 B-17's that set out that day, from different groups. Big Red flew in the high 'A' group at 20,900ft.

They followed a route over the South of England, leaving the English coast at 12.10 hours. Then over the English Channel and flying over the Normandy coastline of France at 12.40 hours. Their route by-passed to the east of the hazardous St Nazaire area (also known as 'Flak City') around 13.25 hours. At around 13.40 hours, over the Western Coast shortly before the target area and bomb run, Big Red encountered major problems... FIRE! Flames flew out of the Top Turret motor and spread rapidly throughout the cockpit and surrounding area, the fire had got into the oxygen system and disaster was imminent. Big Red left the formation, a red flare was fired then the burning B-17 made a complete circle above the town of Aizenay, with more and more smoke and flames pouring from it, before finally going into a steep dive.

At 15,000 ft Pilot Julius Lederman managed to level the plane and gave the alarm to bail out. John Luzell, John Carroll, Herman Hermanson, Waite Law and Julius Lederman bailed out of the nose escape hatch.

Tail Gunner George Hewett not hearing the bail-out alarm turned around to see smoke coming down the inside of the fuselage, he climbed out of the tail to go out of the main rear escape hatch, but seeing the other gunners George Schwarzkopf, Joseph Kapec and Louis Mizera struggling to open the door, he returned to the tail and went out his own emergency hatch after remembering he had one!.

Immediately after George Hewett bailed out, Big Red went into a dive and spin and fell from the sky with Waist Gunner George Schwarzkopf, Waist Gunner Joseph Kapec, Ball Turret Gunner Louis Mizera and Radio Operator Blair Harmon sadly still on board. Apparently the main escape hatch door was stuck and before they could get to another emergency hatch the speed and gravity of the fall made it impossible to get to another escape hatch.

Big Red was totally on fire and falling too fast. Five members of the crew had already parachuted from the stricken B-17, but a sixth, probably Ball Turret Gunner Louis Mizera took the plunge without a parachute just as the central section of Big Red was about to hit the ground. He broke his spine in the fall, the Germans put him in a van to take him to hospital. He never arrived, having probably died on the way. An unconfirmed report from a tail gunner on another B-17 nearby said one crew member jumped out of the Radio escape hatch but upon jumping hit the rear stabiliser of Big Red, his severe injuries made both accounts accurate.

Eye witness reports say that with all the oxygen, fuel and bombs still on board, Big Red blew up with a massive explosion about 100ft above the ground and split into three pieces. It finally came to rest, making a huge crater, on the edge of the Forest of Aizenay. The remaining wreckage of 'Big Red' was later blown to small pieces by the German Army.

More Details

• Crash Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Big Red - website includes 4 pictures of memorial & map showing location. Notes the objective was Bordeaux factories and that in prior months bombers flew over the Aizenay forest to bomb the submarine bases at Saint-Nazaire and La Palice. It was a clear day, no clouds and there were 546 planes in a V formation. "But suddenly one of them breaks away from the group, gradually loses altitude, is quickly surrounded by suspicious smoke and abruptly sets course back north. As if she wanted to go back to England. Then everything happens very quickly, and after a complete loop above the village of Aizenay, the plane which smokes more and seems helpless rushes towards the forest and comes crashing here even after having exploded at 50 meters from the ground . " Indicates the time was 2:15pm on March 27, 1944.
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