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416th Bombardment Group (L) Aircraft Accident Report 44-5-9-519 May 9, 1944, Tuesday
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416th Bombardment Group (L) Aircraft Accident Report 44-5-9-519 May 9, 1944, Tuesday
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(Note: Depending on Internet speed, this report may take some time to download and display.) (AAR images from AAIR - Aviation Archaeological Investigation and Research.) Aircraft Serial Number (Type): 43-9223 (Douglas A-20G-25-DO Havoc) 9th AF; 416th Bomb Gp; 668th Bomb Sq Reason: Killed In A Crash (KCR) Damage: Completely destroyed (5) Point Of Departure: AAF-170 Wethersfield RAF Station, England Location: 1 1/2 miles NW AAF Station 170
Notes: Crashed on test flight. Cause of accident: Undetermined. Description: Unfortunately, not all men are lost on the fields of battle. Many are lost doing routine things far behind the lines. On the ninth, Captain William Battersby, a veteran of submarine warfare in the Anti-Submarine Command, and holder of the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal, crashed to his death while test-hopping a plane in the vicinity of this Base. He had been one of the main-stays of our offensive, often being chosen to lead a box of planes. With him was Private First Class Charles W. Coleman, a parachute rigger. The accident happened so suddenly that neither man had a chance to bail out. Their bodies rest in the Cambridge American Military Cemetery, Cambridge, England. (416th BG History 1944) |
