42-95256
Courtesy of Charles Morgan
The following is courtesy of Mike Weber:
Here's
more on the Grinnell crew mission that day.
The
aircraft of the Paul Grinnell crew (763) was hit by flak over the
target.
The #3
engine was lost, the rudder and aileron cables and some of the fuel
lines were cut, and the electric and hydraulic systems were out.
They
lost two more engines when attacked by fighters.
Robert
C. Kent downed one of the ME-109s,
but a 20 mm shell exploded in the waist, sending fragments into
Goldman's back.
Paul
C. Grinnell, T. L. Beard, Paul A. Stearns, and Robert W. Goldman were
also burned before leaving the plane.
Just
after the last person bailed out near Aleksandrovac, Yugoslavia, the
plane exploded.
The
entire crew was strafed on the way down by fighters, and Vincent J.
Boccardo, Jr. (buried Sicily-Rome Cemetery, G-11-60) and Louis R. Reitan
both were killed—on their first mission.
Paul
A. Stearns broke his ankle, and Eugene A. Simon injured his leg and
ankle.
Although
badly hurt himself, Harold J. Snyder carried Kent to the nearest village
for treatment.
The
doctor claimed to be a relative of Mayor LaGuardia.
Martin
L. Kiel apparently was not hurt.
The
Chetniks treated the wounded and assisted in getting Grinnell, Snyder,
Kiel, Simon, Stearns, Beard, Goldman, and Kent to a landing strip on 31
Jul 44, where they stayed until evacuated 10 Aug 44 as part of the
Halyard Mission.