The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-03-05
ok Returns Ship
 ,ough Half Blinded
salier" Returns From Raid Over Germany cAconscloaS CO.Pilot Stamped Over Controls

Inc North eea and everything pgo- coodod normally until 70 minutes bee eoga wO reached tlle target. We caught cae of the first shcts fired. e WAs q % miiiimeteg Shel1 from . EcpkesWCllf 1oO.
 '1E hit under my OeAt aaad e seems llRaly that tho piloe was aiming ct me. bue he miased. The ajaell exs paodo6 out oxygen with c bang that bounded Nko q bomb. 1t knocked out the o&yoen system on tho left niAs oa the piano. knocked out the electrical Gyotam. and pegt Of my lnSsstSnSnt& e well as starting . 6ro."
 :'cver the phones, ! tod the boys oA the left sldo of Che plane their oMyaaaA WAs gcUa and they grabbed poFSable bottles which they used fof he rest q the trip.
 sTeehnleai sss6eant, Eugene |. Remmeli Of Baltimore, our engineer end tcpsturFent gunner, grabbed an 0xtlngilsher and started sQulSing around Che Ire but before ho brought lt under control the smoke WAs @ thick in the cockpit I could not sss the eo-plloe thrse feet ewAy."
 men "stofmy weAthsE'' made her bomhang run over the target. 9ut the electrical system wao not 9NiMe. taonlng end DcmbagdieR ylrsk Leus teEanE Julian Q. Thesnton, Jr., ol YASwell. TexaA found his anstgu. ments usoleee. 3zA pushed tte rec lease, and the plane felt @ if tha bomhe were gone % ho called: sDouihe Away"
 R didn't know that bomb bay docRs hadn't even opened.
 A 3ew minutes beyond the target, | . German fighter put . fNlll salyc into the plane. One % InIlllmot05 shell knocked out the Nc. 1 engine Another penetratsd the plastic ncsG and bust against Che ATlRaoe plate knocklng cut the nevigatoe end vieh0cheting into the instrument panel. A third shell hit the wind- ahield oe the cockpit just c second before Co-pllok replaced his steel helmet. which had SRllen Co thG Aoog. The side of hle head was psp- peved with fragments and he vel ianeonscious the rest oe tha trip.
 "0no oE the glass SEasmentS oi that saell hit my left eye and < was ell Alcodie6 up @ thAS l couldn't Aee," the pilot said, but I worked my right enc over tine and sol along olIay!'
 Then tho propeller on No. 9 en. zine began running away with atsel! and made the ship didacAit to con. trol. Finally. is burned out tht engine.
 The pilot he'd c very difficult tlm( remaining in formation, but tht hungry NaM fighters hanging around the outskirts made him keeY trying. During . Hull, the unccn' cious eo.piiot was taken Co yadl' compartment.
 Then the fighters hit again. No Engine was knocked cut and tn waist gunner was wounded. By thl time, the plane wes over the NoTtl Sec with only go minutes to %.
 The longest % minutes of ua, Nfe." the pilot said.
 Halfway across the North Wel they discovered that the bomhl with their safety pins out, were Stll in the plane. It was impossible C Jettieon them safely because ehI plane was fairly skiinming the tol oe the waves.
 One oe tho eFew members ciimbet into the bay and replaced the pins
 We Sweated it out until VI reached the deid," said the pilot ''and came down for what ! though, was Q fairly normal landing for { plane with only tive motors." 1t wasn't until after he hat ground lcppsd In landing that h. remembered the bombs. Then ht felt weak in the knees.