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S/Sgt Richard B. Westover graduated from Carmel Central High School. He worked as a dairy farmer.

- William E. Service tells about that day:
On the run into the target, we sustained a Flak strike on no.1 engine and grey smoke began trailing from that engine. Grey smoke being an indication of oil leaking on to the hot exhaust stack or turbo charger.

When I realized that our Group Leader, Lt Col Thorup was going to make a 360 degree turn to the right for a second run over the target, I directed the Bombardier to salvo the bombs and close the bomb bay doors. This action was taken because of loss of power of the no.1. engine, and because we were flying the no.2 position of the high squadron which would be on the outside of the 360 degree turn. Also the 447th dropped their bombs on the first run over the target and we followed them heading for England.

Because our aircraft was trailing oil smoke from no.1. engine, we were under heavy attack from ME-110's. They were firing air to air rockets and 20mm canon shells at our aircraft. Probably due to poor communications between myself and Lt. Mark Lee, the Co-Pilot, he waited too long before feathering the no.1. propeller. The propeller started to feather and the blades flattened out and we had a run-away propeller. Because of the loss of no.1 engine and the added drag of the run-away propeller, I had to drop out of formation and try to get down on the deck, close to the ground where we would be on more equal terms with the fighters.

Unfortunately, on the letdown, we were struck in the inboard trailing edge of the right hand wing by air to air rockets which caused complete loss of lateral control of the aircraft. At this point, we were down to about 13000 feet. I felt that, with the lack of lateral control, it would be unsafe to stay with the plane any longer. I therefore rang the alarm bell and gave a verbal order to abandon the aircraft. I also extended the landing gear, hoping the ME-110's would stop firing at the plane. Firing ceased after the gear was extended.

The emergency release on the bomb bay doors would not function, so the Bombardier, Navigator, Radio Operator, Flight Engineer, Co-Pilot and myself exited through the lower nose hatch. The rest of the crew exited through the rear entrance door and the Tail Gunner's hatch. After we abandoned the plane, it continued to roll to the left and nosed down into an essentially dive to the ground.

I was captured by a German farmer, carrying a double barreled gun, who turned me over to the military at the crash site of our plane. The balance of our crew, except for Sgt Dikeman and S/Sgt Westover, had also been captured and brought to the crash site along with several members of another crew.

In talking with members of my crew, we all felt that everybody had succesfully bailed out of our plane. The military took us into the small town of Rahde, which is close to the spot where our plane crashed. The fate of the gunners Sgt Levi A. Dikeman and S/Sgt Richard Westover is not known. Both men bailed out first and no info about them has been received since.

S/Sgt Richard B. Westover was first buried at Temporary American Military Cemetery Ardennes, Belgium Block J, Row 3, Grave 59.