Memorial

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Sgt Miller, one of the surviving members gave a brief report on this loss, accounting that the plane was hit by enemy fighters with the Flight Engineer being killed then and the remaining crew men, including Lt Astleford (later found dead), bailing out the stricken plane without much difficulty with the ship then afire.

Sgt Miller also stated that Lt Astleford was alive when exiting the ship, but later the Germans showed the survivors his Officer's jacket and said he was dead in the plane from wounds.

Another survivor, Lt Hamann, also confirmed that the only crew member who did not bail out successfully was the Flight Engineer, Sgt Crabbe, who was killed in-flight about ten minutes after the target when their plane came under attack and they left formation. Lt Hamann also related that German guards told the survivors that one of our crew had been killed by civilians, and that a German boy personally had showed him a parachute which was that of Lt Astleford. It was Hamman's supposition that the Navigator had been shot after bail out landing after he tried to escape capture.