Claude E. Breeden 1st Lieutenant - Pilot - 15th Troop Carrier Squadron - 61st Troop Carrier Group

Narrative Report For Aircraft Chalk Number 29

Pilot : lst Lt. Claude E. Breeden O-737717
Co-pilot : 2nd Lt. Raymond A. Casale O-821666
Crew Chief : S/Sgt. Louis (nmi ) Babb 14071113
Radio Operator : Sgt. Arnold (nmi) Warlin 12147376

We had followed the prescribed route through the DZ and as far as the point of our crash. We had just left the area of the DZ; the heading was approximately 120 degrees, and we were flying at an altitude of 100 feet, when our ship was hit by a succession of anti-aircraft fire with tracers.

Over the DZ a burst seriously damaged the elevators and rudders. In the turn a direct hit blew a hole in the left wing. About six miles off shore the right prop "ran away". We flew the ship on the left engine, and we were unable to maintain altitude. When it, too, went out, we used IFF emergency procedure, and, at 0630 hours, June 7th, we ditched.

The landing shock was mild. Our position was on t he course, approximately 15 miles on a 25 degree heading from PADUCAH. The plane floated for eight minutes.

The Crew Chief, Sgt. Babb, lost part of his finger nail from a fragment hit. The Radio Operator, Sgt. Warlin, suffered a lacerated ear and a blow on the head.

We were in the dingy for one hour and fourty-five minutes before being picked up by a PT boat and taken to the USS Quincy at about 0830 hours. The Quincy docked at Weymouth, England at 2300 hours and we stayed with a British Air Sea Rescue unit that night. The following day we were turned over to the American Headquarters of the 6th Tank Destroyer Group. Then we were ordered to travel by train to Exeter and to the 50th TC Wing. We called Barkston Heath, remained at Exeter that night, and returned home by plane at 1700 hours the fo1lowing day. We left Sgt. Warlin, our Radio Operator, at the British Air Sea Rescue Hospital.

Claude E. Breeden   (9 June 1944)