Memorial

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Statement from F/O Robert C. Bouck, Co-Pilot.
"Thirty seconds after bombs away, we were to make a turn to the right in formation. 29 seconds went by when we got hit. When I came to, I was at about 5,000 ft above the ground, out of the plane, and in a free fall. I pulled the rip cord and parachuted to the ground, and was taken prisoner immediately.
"When I reached the states, I learned that our radio operator had been liberated. I wrote him, and he gave me a lot of information about the rest of the crew. He crashed with the plane. He named five of the crew that he saw, I presume, who were dead in the plane. They were Lima, Maccini, Castello, Tovey, and I believe he said Miller. He (the radio operator, Sgt Chester P. Mazur) was taken prisoner immediately after the crash and marched to a house about 15 miles from the spot the plane crashed. Later, the Germans brought in Jack (Jacob M.) Levin (Navigator). Mazur said Jack was in bad shape. The Germans then moved Mazur out and left Jack there. That was the last time he saw Jack."

Sgt. Tovey didn't bail out. According to the Radio Operator, Chester P. Mazur, he was hit by a fighter in the chest when they were going down. He was given first aid by Mazur before the crash. It is believed that he died in the crash.