B-26 G-15-MA crash in Zuzgen on April 16th, 1945, 9th Air Force, 387th Bomb Group, 559th Squadron. The B-26G Marauder with Serial No. 44-67894 and license plate TQ-M was assigned to bomb Kempten, crashing in the forest near Zuzgen in the process. How did that happen? The approach to Kempten went smoothly; neither anti-aircraft guns nor fighter planes interfered. But suddenly, shortly after Donaueschingen at 17.20, there was trouble in the formation. Second Lieutenant’s right Pratt & Whitney engine began smoking profusely. He immediately left the formation, ditched his two bombs in an emergency air drop and headed towards Switzerland. But a few kilometers before they reached the Swiss border, Radio Sgt. Johnnie F. Jones and Gunner S/Sgt Eal L. They had to bite the bullet and leave the aircraft. They were caught and ended up uninjured in German imprisonment. Radio Sgt. Johnnie F. Jones was able to escape after two days, swam over the Rhine River and was detained in Switzerland. At 17.40, the Marauder crossed the Rhine at Möhlin at about 250 meters above water level. A nearby antiaircraft defense unit witnessed the approach. It immediately opened fire upon the intruder. The Americans had never expected such a warm welcome from the Swiss! The aircraft caught on fire again and luckily the pilot was able to keep it under control. Reid deployed the landing gear so that his colleagues could parachute out through the gear shaft. A few seconds before the crash, Lt. Reid changed flight direction again, so as the «894» didn’t land in a residential area. Then he got out, too. The crew had jumped out with parachutes, whereby Pilot 2nd Lieutenant Raymond W. Reid lost his life; the rest of the crew was interned in Switzerland.
Pilot`s Flight Operating Instructions
