P-38J 42-68127

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MACR No. 05942
2/Lt. Samuel E. Hansard reported: "I was leading Red flight with Lt. Armstrong leading second element. We were flying over 10/10 overcast so that it was impossible to determine exact location. On basis of time and distance I believe we were over either Schiermonnikoog or Borkum of the Frisian Islands chain (Holland) when we encountered intense heavy flak. At the first burst Lt. Armstrong called over the radio he had been hit and I turned to see his ship on fire just inboard of the right engine. He dropped belly tanks and dove his ship in an effort to put out the fire, with no success.

"He bailed out of the aircraft and I saw his chute open and I let down through the overcast to see him land successfully very near the coast in a slightly flooded area. It was impossible to determine the exact location due to weather conditions but I kept a careful record of the time and courses flown back to base and on the basis of these calculations believe that Lt. Armstrong landed about 3 miles N W of Dokkum, Holland. I circled Lt. Armstrong after he had reached the ground and he waved to me as he started to walk away."

Lt. Armstrong was imprisoned in Stalag Luft VII A, Moosburg. Most of those that were downed during this same period were usually imprisoned in Stalag Luft III, Sagan.

(Reproduced with the kind permission of Mr. Robert M. Littlefield, from the author's book, Double Nickel, Double Trouble.)