
B-24JAZ-155-CO 44-40283 J4 I Lassie Come Home

Crash Spynke Road, Norwich - January 14, 1945 (Battle Damage)
Missions
Date | Target | Pilot | 458th Msn | Pilot Msn | RCL | Sqdn | A/C Msn | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
08-Jun-44 | UNSPECIFIED TARGETS | TRACY | AZ04 | -- | I | J4 | -- | ABANDONED - WEATHER |
14-Jun-44 | 5 TARGETS | TRACY | AZ06 | 1 | I | J4 | 1 | |
15-Jun-44 | 3 RAILWAY BRIDGES | TRACY | AZ07 | 2 | I | J4 | 2 | |
22-Jun-44 | Saumer, Tours - Tact Bridges | TRACY | AZ09 | 3 | I | J4 | 3 | |
01-Sep-44 | RAVENSTEIN, HOLLAND | CURLAND | AZ14 | 2 | I | J4 | 4 | |
10-Sep-44 | ULM M/Y | EVANS | 125 | 18 | I | J4 | 5 | LEAD 2ND SQDN - BREVAKIS |
07-Oct-44 | MAGDEBURG | TRACY | 130 | 22 | I | J4 | 6 | |
09-Oct-44 | KOBLENZ | BECKSTROM | 131 | 1 | I | J4 | 7 | |
12-Oct-44 | OSNABRUCK | AKIN | 132 | 2 | I | J4 | 8 | |
14-Oct-44 | COLOGNE | TRACY | 133 | ABT | I | J4 | -- | ABORT - RADIO COMP MALFUNC |
15-Oct-44 | MONHEIM | TRACY | 134 | 23 | I | J4 | 9 | |
26-Oct-44 | MINDEN | HADDEN | 138 | 5 | I+ | J4 | 10 | |
30-Oct-44 | HARBURG | GLAGOLA | 139 | 27 | I | J4 | 11 | |
02-Nov-44 | BIELEFELD | TRACY | 140 | 25 | I | J4 | 12 | |
04-Nov-44 | MISBURG | FUSON | 141 | 27 | I | J4 | 13 | |
05-Nov-44 | KARLSRUHE | TRACY | 142 | 26 | I | J4 | 14 | |
06-Nov-44 | MINDEN | FUSON | 143 | 28 | I | J4 | 15 | |
08-Nov-44 | RHEINE | TRACY | 144 | 27 | I | J4 | 16 | |
09-Nov-44 | METZ AREA | FUSON | 145 | 29 | I | J4 | 17 | SEE OPS REC - POSSIBLE ANA |
10-Nov-44 | HANAU A/F | TRACY | 146 | 28 | I | J4 | 18 | |
21-Nov-44 | HARBURG | BECKSTROM | 148 | 10 | I | J4 | 19 | |
25-Nov-44 | BINGEN | TRACY | 149 | 29 | I | J4 | 20 | |
26-Nov-44 | BIELEFELD | PISKIN | 150 | 31 | I | J4 | 21 | 8AF/K-21 |
11-Dec-44 | HANAU | VINCENT | 155 | 17 | I | J4 | 22 | |
12-Dec-44 | HANAU | TRACY | 156 | 31 | I | J4 | 23 | |
18-Dec-44 | KOBLENZ | TRACY | REC | -- | I | J4 | -- | RECALL DUTCH ISLE |
24-Dec-44 | SCHONECKEN | TRACY | 157 | 32 | I | J4 | 24 | WRITTEN "LAST MISSION" |
25-Dec-44 | PRONSFELD | TRACY | 158 | 33 | I | J4 | 25 | |
01-Jan-45 | KOBLENZ | SHANNON | 163 | 3 | I | J4 | 26 | |
03-Jan-45 | NEUNKIRCHEN | HICKS | 165 | 5 | I | J4 | 27 | |
07-Jan-45 | RASTATT | SHANNON | 166 | 4 | I | J4 | 28 | |
14-Jan-45 | HALLENDORF | DIEHL | 170 | 5 | I | J4 | 29 | BATTLE DAMAGE CRASH |
January 14, 1945


Accounts
"I was eight years old in January 1945, I lived with my mother in a
bungalow a few hundred yards from the take-off runway at Horsham St
Faith. My father was serving in the Royal Air Force. A school friend
and I were watching the returning the B-24’s on that day having trembled
with excitement and trepidation watching the same bombers clawing into
the sky in the morning. We were used to seeing planes with smoking
engines, pieces hanging off the various parts of the structure, flares
being fired into the sky and a chaff falling down like tinsel. When it
seemed like the last hand landed another ship came into sight, I do not
recall seeing a propeller feathered or even if the wheels were lowered
but it was an all silver coloured aircraft whereas most of the previous
B24’s were a drab green even one being all black.
"Lassie Come Home
seemed to be flying steadily and in a correct attitude that I was
completely shocked when I saw the port wing drop and the plane seemed to
throw itself head first into the ground. I was with a fellow boy of my
own age and after gulping in what had happened he and I made short work
of the distance riding our pedal bikes like crazy. We couldn’t miss
the giant plane standing on its nose and leaning against a brick
dwelling house. It was complete with wings and tail unit in place I
recall the engines and the four part of the plane were in-bedded into
the ground up to the leading edge of the wing. I am sure there must
have been many people there but I didn’t notice them because it was
strangely so silent. I expect at my age it was too much to take in and
only the crashed plane was of any concern to me. We moved around the
edge of the garden and on the pavement was a stretcher covered in a
white sheet protruding out of one end were a pair of light brown boots
and the other end a large area of blood as we stared at the sad sight we
were told in no uncertain way to clear off in good old US dialogue.
"For
some years it has bothered me as to why the tragedy occurred and
whether any of the crew survived. We were unaware of any casualties on
the ground as during the war years people didn’t talk much about the war
especially to eight year old's. It is probably of no consolation to
anyone now but whoever shut down the fuel switches in the last seconds
pilot or co-pilot is all kinds of hero, had there been a fire with fuel
and ammunition exploding amongst the close packed houses it would have
been a bigger catastrophe than it was already." - Brian Breeze
Memorial Plaque






Disposition
B-24JAZ-155 CO 44-40283 I J4 (753) LASSIE COME HOME
NMF
Original AZON aircraft. Lead aircraft.
Repaired at Braintree, Essex, 18 - 27 Aug 44 - # 2 engine.
Crashed 14 Jan 45 in the garden of 14 Spynke Road, Mile Cross, Norwich, on return. (Hallendorf) Salvaged 15 Jan 45.
(Info Courtesy: Tom Brittan)