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On September 17,
1944 a C47 nicknamed the "Cecilia-L", Tail Nr 42-101004 - departed Langar
Airfield in England, destination - Groesbeck, Holland. It carried ten men of
the 508th along with their specialized equipment slung under the belly of
the aircraft in Para-racks..
As the Cecilia-L approached the drop zone designated as DZ-T,
located 2,000 yards north of Grosbeek, Holland,
it took heavy ground fire and erupted into flames causing the pilot to crash
land the aircraft in a field across the German border near Wyler.
Cecilia-L's final
moments were described in a statement made by 1/Lt. William R. Blackburn: "I was
flying the left wing position in Captain M. J. Parker's flight. As we
approached the DZ, Capt. Parker's plane received a direct hit which knocked
out the 1st two (2) pararack bundles and started the gasoline tanks on
fire. After passing the DZ paratroopers started jumping from the ship
and continued to jump as the airplane went in a glide toward the ground.
After hitting the ground, the airplane was still intact and I didn't see
anyone leave the plane at this time. Fire engulfed the entire center
section of the airplane. After that the airplane was out of my vision." |
