“Picadilly Filly”

On the October 9, 1943 mission to Danzig, flak burst above Lieutenant Thomas W. Atkinson's Piccadilly Filley, knocking out one engine and badly damaging the tail turret and control surfaces. Navigator Richard C. Hurlburt bailed out over the North Sea, apparently mistaking radio traffic for the bail-out signal; Atkinson ordered the rest of the crew to remain aboard and prepare to ditch. With only power on the port side, Atkinson nursed the crippled bomber to a crash-landing at Rogsby, Sweden. Tail-gunner Nick Caruso credited the 21-year-old pilot with saving the crew's lives. As briefed, the survivors set fire to the aircraft after landing. Swedish officials were told the crew had erred in navigation, the agreed cover story for planes forced down in neutral territory.