“Lady Jan”

Lady Jan went down over Ploesti on August 1, 1943, falling into a sliding, burning heap that left a trail of fire across a wheat field. Her pilot, Lieutenant William E. Meehan, died along with the rest of the crew - co-pilot Ralph Egle, navigator Pharris Weekly, bombardier Carl Israel, and gunners Vernie Johnson, Anthony Galasso, Leonard Kramp, Ernest Baron, and George Parker. Only tail gunner Lawrence Yates escaped the wreckage; he was taken prisoner.