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416th Bombardment Group (L) No Report December 2, 1944, Saturday
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416th Bombardment Group (L) No Report December 2, 1944, Saturday
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Aircraft Serial Number (Type): 44-093 (Douglas A-20K-5-DO Havoc)
9th AF; 416th Bomb Gp; 668th Bomb Sq Mission # 164; Box: I; Flight: 1; Position: 2; A/C Fuselage Code: 5H-V Reason: Enemy anti-aircraft Damage: Crash Landing, Washed out Point Of Departure: A-55 Melun/Villaroche, France Location: Station A-79, near Reims, France
Description: Captain Meagher's plane was hit by flak. He was painfully wounded in the feet. He had no radio contact with the other men in his plane to warn them about his condition or to check with them for injuries. He made what some called "the most perfect peel-off" they had ever seen when he left the formation after the target, even with his damaged plane. He made an emergency crash-landing near Reims. It was not until the other members of his crew crawled uninjured from the washed-out plane that they knew that their pilot was injured. Capt. Meagher was taken to the hospital and from there evacuated to the States. (416th BG History 1944) On 2d December, while returning from a combat mission, Captain Joseph F. Meagher, Flight Commander, was struck in the foot by a flak fragment and severely wounded. The same burst disabled the aircraft. Captain Meagher, without informing his crew that he was injured, lest he give them cause for alarm, left the formation and by a superb feat of airmanship, successfully crash-landed the battle damaged ship without injury to the crew. A veteran of sixty-three missions, Captain Meagher was transferred to a General Hospital and evacuated to England, whence he will be sent home. The heroic act on his last combat mission, together with the professional skill displayed throughout his tour, mark Captain Meagher as one of the distinguished combat pilots of the Squadron. ("668th Bombardment Squadron (L) History") See Mission # 164 for additional details |