“Victory Belle”

B-24J serial 42-100294 was the lead aircraft on a mission to Dreux Airdrome, France on 24 June 1944. The plane was piloted by Captain Norman A. Roggenkamp, with Lt. Col. Clarence R. Porter aboard as acting commander.

Over the target at approximately 0840 hours, the aircraft received a direct burst of flak in the bomb bay, causing a series of explosions. The plane broke up in the air at approximately 21,000 feet altitude. Witnesses reported seeing the bomb bay catch fire, bombs dropping, and then the aircraft swinging out of formation before exploding. The only recognizable part observed was the right outer panel spiraling down.

Wreckage came down approximately 20 kilometers south of Dreux, France. Witnesses from other aircraft reported seeing between two and five parachutes, and one individual was observed leaving the plane with a chute that either did not open or had a delayed opening. The crash site was near an airfield at Trron, south of Dreux.

German capture records (KW Case Nr. 2371) confirm the aircraft was shot down at Air Base Dreux on 24 June 1944 at 0840. Of the 11 crew, 5 were killed, 5 returned to U.S. military control, and 1 was a prisoner of war. The report was prepared by 1st Lt. George J. Meisel on 28 June 1944.