TSgt Powell Everrette Griffin, mechanic 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. Griffin bailed out of the forward escape hatch and cleared the plane successfully. However, he was wounded in four places and suffered burns on his face and hands from aviation fuel. He had bullet wounds in both legs and a fractured tibia. Healed at first by a local doctor, the Germans put him in a hospital before transferring him to Stalag XVIII in Krems, Austria. The B-17 continued its descent and crashed into the village of Les Morandières of Saint-Père-en-Retz.