Memorial

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S/Sgt Nash attended Northfield High School and was a lineman with the Northfield Telephone Company before he volunteered for the Air Corps of the Army of the United States in Rutland, Vermont on 8 January 1942.

The field order for the mission called for 12 aircraft, of which six would break off the formation and bomb the generation station and gas works at Haarlem when they reached the coast, and the other six would continue their route to bomb the power plant of IJmuiden. However, only eleven planes were serviceable, because many were still under flak damage repair from the mission the day before. Every crew knew this mission would be one they would not survive. After taking off, they soon nosed over to 50 feet to get under the German radar. A little later, approximately 30 miles from the Dutch coast, one of the aircraft experienced electrical problems and headed back to England. When they turned, they climbed to 1,000 feet (what would be considered common sense with a lame aircraft). However, by climbing, the aircraft placed itself within German radar coverage, thus alerting German defenses. As the remaining aircraft approached the coast, several sea vessels appeared ahead in the flight path. The formation changed course to avoid surface fire from these vessels, with the result that they reached the coast at a point with one of the most heavily defended areas in the Netherlands. In very little time, five aircraft were shot down. The remaining aircraft believed they were close to their targets, but they were still miles away. After 10 minutes without recognizing any landmarks, they thought they saw the Haarlem works, but it was a gas holder on the west side of Amsterdam. They dropped their bombs, but all bombs fell short and caused no damage. Unknown to the crews, the heading taken from this target headed them directly for the heavily defended port area near IJmuiden. All remaining aircraft were shot down.

From the moment the flight reached the Dutch coast, several planes were shot down. The surviving B-26s headed between Delft and Rotterdam with B-26 #41-18080 leading the first flight. Near Bodegraven, while carrying out violent evasive action, it collided with B-26 #41-17991, which was leading the second element. Both B-26s crashed in flames with only two survivors.
B-26 #41-17999, severely damaged by debris from the two colliding aircraft, belly landed his unmanageable B-26 into a field at Meye.

S/Sgt John L Nash was originally buried in the General Cemetery at Bodegraven with Honors. His grave was supplied with an oak cross, according to Dirk Johannes Christiann Peters, Chief Constable Detective of the Gouda Police.