· RUEL SK

The Way Back
117
The SWOFFORD crew
Sweetest Rose of Texas went off the end of the runway because it had lost the
hydraulic fluid and had no brakes. While radio operator Eugene Thurn was hurried to the
dispensary, officers collected the charts and maps from navigator Henry Dobek. Then the
crew was taken to the debriefing room.
The ISOM crew
When they approached the base, pilot Isom and copilot Justice saw red flares to
request priority for landing coming from. the plane in front of Patty Girl. They parked a
ship barely injured - with only a few holes - while the 445 th Group had virtually ceased to
exist.
At hardstand 18, they were getting their gear from the plane, when they were
suddenly surrounded by MPs. They told the crew not to talk to anyone and whisked them
off to a debriefmg room and locked the door. There they were subjected to a thorough
interrogation, asked question after question.
The KRIVIK crew
Despite another engine losing power, pilot Stanley Krivik had been against a landing
in France. With the hydraulic system gone and wounded aboard, he thought his ship
needed a long runway and his crew a nearby hospital. And they made it. Krivik and
copilot Leonard Trotta had brought their ship home. Percy was the only one of the ten
ships of the 702 nd Squadron to survive the onslaught. The three gunners in the rear were
wounded: James Paul, William Rand, and Harry Puto. Of the four engines, only one was
functioning properly - two were damaged and the fourth was shut down. Close to
Tibenham, one of the damaged engines stopped.
With two engines out of commission and one-and-a-half pulling, the freedom of lowlevel
maneuver was restricted. Then the remaining engine failed and the ship crashed in a
field just outside of Diss, killing navigator FlO Daniel J. Dale. The plane broke in half and
started burning.
Krivik had been knocked unconscious in the crash. When he came to, he and