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S/Sgt Mitchell A. Walla was a salesman at the Syracuse Ice Machine Company.

Surviving crew members stated that the bomb bay doors were opened just before the bomb run. At this time, flak was such that the pilot employed some evasive action to avoid being hit by heavy barrages. The ship was damaged by this fire and caused the plane to fall slightly behind the formation as a tail-end straggler. According to this report and, just as suddenly, the plane was jumped by enemy fighters which finished the severe damage to the plane. This account continued to say that the ship was on fire in the bomb bays which was attributed to a short in electrical circuitry.

The tail gunner reported that he last saw Walla at the left waist guns before Walla jumped out through the hatch and it is believed that Walla's parachute did not open.

Six crew members survived and were taken prisoner, four were killed. They were initially buried at the cemetery of Waltershausen on 4 March 1944. Three of them weren't identified at that time and were buried in a common grave.