1st Lt Jay Robert “Bob” Sterling, pilot of the B-17 42-5780 “Black Swan”, took off from station 107 Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, UK on a bombing mission over St Nazaire’s submarine pens with two 2,000lbs bombs. It was the crew's third mission together. They were at the rear of a 19-plane formation tasked to destroy the naval harbor. Of those 19, one had to RTB, one jettisoned its bombs, six never dropped theirs, and only 10 made a 10-second bomb run over the target, resulting in poor performance. The formation ran into moderate AA fire but was also attacked by dozens of enemy fighters painted to resemble P-47s that dive-bombed with pre-fused aerial bombs. A flak shell damaged the “Black Swan” 's No.3 engine, causing the bomber to trail out of formation and allowing the fighters to work it over. Multiple bombs exploded in the bomber’s fuselage and the navigator, Lt Roach, gave the bailout order. However, a flak shell killed Sterling before he was able to jump. Lt Neill, unsure of his condition, pushed him out of the plane in the hopes he would revive at a lower altitude. He didn’t. The B-17 continued its descent and crashed into the village of Les Morandières of Saint-Père-en-Retz. Sterling's body was initially buried in the Pont du Cens cemetery before being repatriated to the US.