“Bathtub Bessie”

B-24D 42-40938 was lost on 15 September 1943 on a mission departing AAF 104 (Hardwick). The aircraft was last seen between the Seine and Fécamp, near Yvetot, France.

According to bombardier 2nd Lt. Earl D. Warren Jr., the aircraft was damaged by flak or fighters at dusk as the group was returning. The plane straggled and was then attacked by enemy fighters. The left wing caught fire and the order to bail out was given. While Warren was preparing to jump, a large shell or rocket struck from underneath just behind the nose wheel and passed up through the cockpit area. The aircraft crashed near Fauville-en-Caux, France. Warren evaded capture for approximately one year and was liberated when Allied forces occupied the region.

Navigator 2nd Lt. Edward F. Miller, captured and held as a POW, reported in August 1945 that the plane was on fire when he jumped. German authorities informed surviving crew that pilot William Loveday was dead. Miller stated he could identify two of the three bodies found in the wreckage; the identity of the third — possibly the assistant engineer — could not be confirmed.