Mission 178.Target of Opportunity.

On 7 January 1944 the aircraft departed Hardwick at 07:30 on a bombing mission to Ludwigshafen. While returning from the target the aircraft was attacked by Me 109s in the vicinity of Chartres, France. Engine number two was set on fire and the flames quickly spread to the wing. Pilot Lt. Walters dived the aircraft to 15,000 feet in an attempt to extinguish the fire. When this failed he ordered the crew to bail out and rang the alarm bell. The aircraft was traveling at approximately 200 mph when Walters dived headfirst through the bomb bay at roughly 2,000–3,000 feet. The aircraft exploded on impact with the ground and was completely destroyed. It came down within 200 yards of where Walters landed, near Brou, France, approximately 5–6 miles from Brie. Four crew members — Walters, Bickley, Del Guidice, and Hite — successfully evaded capture and returned to the UK on 24 February 1944. The navigator, bombardier, and three gunners (Kudej, Sweet, and Stainker) remained MIA.

B-24D serial 42-40990, assigned to the 328th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group, was lost on 7 January 1944 during a combat mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. The aircraft departed AAF Station 104 and was last seen over the Chartres area at approximately 1320 hours. Loss was attributed to enemy aircraft. No. 2 engine caught fire and the wing behind the engine was also burning. Controls were partially damaged and did not respond fully. The pilot ordered the crew to bail out at between 4,000 and 5,000 feet altitude. All crew members were observed bailing out with parachutes opening. The aircraft exploded before hitting the ground and exploded again on impact. It crashed into a forest near Chateau, approximately 17 km southeast of Foix, France. A German capture report dated 15 February 1944 confirmed the crash location. French witnesses reported that two bodies were found in the burned wreckage. Four crew members — the pilot, co-pilot, radio operator, and engineer/top turret gunner — evaded capture and returned to England together. Two officers, the navigator and bombardier, were assisted by French contacts and reached Paris but were captured by the Germans before reaching Spain. The fate of the remaining three crew members was not definitively established.