B-24 The Oklahoman

by , Grasset Jacques

Stele in memory of the crew of the B-24 "The Oklahoman" shot down by the Flack of Saint-Nazaire on December 05, 1943. Returning from an abortive mission at the Cognac airfield, the ninety-strong "group bomb" B-24 headed for England. However, following a navigational error by the "Leader", they headed for Saint-Nazaire instead of off the coast. The plane's crew consisted of: -Mason Harley B.-Baum Thomas G.
-Nolan James F.
-Lesnak Edward.
-McNair Robert W.
-Marzolf Martin E.
-Kirkland Doyle L.
-Anchondo Rudolph O.
-Ward Lester T.

Only Mason Harley (pilot) was wounded and taken prisoner.
Text and photo credits: Grasset Jacques.

Panel text:

On the morning of December 5, 1943, at 7:42 a.m., twenty-three B24s of the 389th Bomb Group took off from Hetcthel airbase in England; one of these aircraft, The Oklahoman, belonging to the 566th. Squadron, is piloted by Lieutenant Harley B. MASON. They join at altitude 26 B24s from the 44th Bomb Group, 21 B24s from the 93rd Bomb Group and 21 B24s from the 392nd Bomb Group (2 of which turn back). The 94 B24s left the English coast at 9.46 a.m. and, after rounding Guernsey, headed for their target: the COGNAC-CHATEAUBERNARD airfield.

But heavy cloud cover prevented the bombing, and the formation was ordered to return to England with its bombs. At this point, a navigational error by the B24 Leader directed the planes directly towards Saint-Nazaire, where they flew over the powerful FLAK of the estuary, which greeted them with a deluge of shells, some of which came from the 4 double 105 mm guns of the 4th battery of the 809 Marine-FLAK. Hai (Requin), located near the church in Saint-Brévin-les Pins. At 12,000 feet (3,660 m), a shell hits the bomb bay of the B24 The Oklahoma, which explodes and disintegrates into 4 main parts: the nose, one wing, the other wing in flames and the rear fuselage. The latter fell in the village of La Croix Châtre, while a wing and engine fell 200m away on the other side of the Paimboeuf road, near a blockhouse, and a propeller and two unexploded bombs were found in the village of Le Plessis.

Three airmen managed to open their parachutes, including the pilot, Lieutenant Harley MASON, who was thrown half unconscious out of the cockpit. Suddenly, he appears through the mist above the church of Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, pushed out to sea by the wind.

It's Sunday, 12.08am, mass is over. Among the parishioners lingering in the church square, Adolphe JARNIOU (a member of the Stuart resistance network), seeing the aviator fall into the sea, leads a comrade to borrow Guy ROYER's lifeboat. But after rowing vigorously, having reached a few dozen meters from the aviator, they are forced to turn back, as their fragile craft is taking on water and is about to sink. Then a German motorboat appeared, and the soldiers grabbed the parachute and dragged the airman towards Mindin. Transferred to hospital, the pilot was told by the German soldiers that he was the only survivor of the 10-man crew.

The bodies of 2 airmen were found in the rear fuselage of the plane, and another body nearby. In the nearby village of La Croix, close to a second fallen engine in Maurice BOUCARD's garden, the body of a 4th airman was discovered, having fallen with his parachute through the branches of a chestnut tree. The bodies of four other airmen were found in Mindin, 500 m to the north, near a turret.

The co-pilot, Flight Officer Thomas BAUM, was seriously wounded when he and his parachute were picked up by a German boat at the mouth of the Loire. He did not survive his injuries and was taken ashore at Saint-Nazaire for burial in the Escoublac cemetery.

On December 8, 1943, 8 airmen were buried in the Pont du Cens cemetery in Nantes: Rudolph ANCHONDO, Doyle KIRKIAND, Edward LESNAK, Martin MARZOLE, Robert McNATR, James NOLAN and Walter TAYLOR.

As Lester WARD 's remains had not been identified, his grave was marked "Unknown"! On March 15, 1945, the remains of Thomas BAUM and Doyle KIRKL AND were transferred to the Brittany American Cemetery in Saint James in the English Channel, and repatriated to a cemetery in the USA.

During the December 5, 1943 mission to Cognac, 5 B24s of the 389th Bomb Group and 2 of the 392nd Bomb Group were damaged, and 2 of the planes returning to England were wounded The Oklahoman was the only plane shot down during the mission. Prisoner until the Liberation at Stalag Luft 1 Barth-Vogelsang in Prussia, Harley MASON died on August 17, 2002 in Idaho, at the age of 82.

Stele in memory of the crew of the B-24 The Oklahoman shot down by the Flack of Saint-Nazaire on December 05, 1943. Returning from an abortive mission at the Cognac airfield, the ninety-strong group bomb B-24 headed for England. However, following a navigational error by the Leader, they headed for Saint-Nazaire instead of off the coast. The plane's crew consisted of: -Mason Harley B.-Baum Thomas G. -Nolan James F.-Lesnak Edward.-McNair Robert W.-Marzolf Martin E.-Kirkland Doyle L.-Anchondo Rudolph O.-Ward Lester T.Only Mason Harley (pilot) was wounded and taken prisoner.Text and photo credits: Grasset Jacques.Panel text:On the morning of December 5, 1943, at 7:42 a.m., twenty-three B24s of the 389th Bomb Group took off from Hetcthel airbase in England; one of these aircraft, The Oklahoman, belonging to the 566th. Squadron, is piloted by Lieutenant Harley B. MASON. They join at altitude 26 B24s from the 44th Bomb Group, 21 B24s from the 93rd Bomb Group and 21 B24s from the 392nd Bomb Group (2 of which turn back). The 94 B24s left the English coast at 9.46 a.m. and, after rounding Guernsey, headed for their target: the COGNAC-CHATEAUBERNARD airfield.But heavy cloud cover prevented the bombing, and the formation was ordered to return to England with its bombs. At this point, a navigational error by the B24 Leader directed the planes directly towards Saint-Nazaire, where they flew over the powerful FLAK of the estuary, which greeted them with a deluge of shells, some of which came from the 4 double 105 mm guns of the 4th battery of the 809 Marine-FLAK. Hai (Requin), located near the church in Saint-Brévin-les Pins. At 12,000 feet (3,660 m), a shell hits the bomb bay of the B24 The Oklahoma, which explodes and disintegrates into 4 main parts: the nose, one wing, the other wing in flames and the rear fuselage. The latter fell in the village of La Croix Châtre, while a wing and engine fell 200m away on the other side of the Paimboeuf road, near a blockhouse, and a propeller and two unexploded bombs were found in the village of Le Plessis.Three airmen managed to open their parachutes, including the pilot, Lieutenant Harley MASON, who was thrown half unconscious out of the cockpit. Suddenly, he appears through the mist above the church of Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, pushed out to sea by the wind.It's Sunday, 12.08am, mass is over. Among the parishioners lingering in the church square, Adolphe JARNIOU (a member of the Stuart resistance network), seeing the aviator fall into the sea, leads a comrade to borrow Guy ROYER's lifeboat. But after rowing vigorously, having reached a few dozen meters from the aviator, they are forced to turn back, as their fragile craft is taking on water and is about to sink. Then a German motorboat appeared, and the soldiers grabbed the parachute and dragged the airman towards Mindin. Transferred to hospital, the pilot was told by the German soldiers that he was the only survivor of the 10-man crew.The bodies of 2 airmen were found in the rear fuselage of the plane, and another body nearby. In the nearby village of La Croix, close to a second fallen engine in Maurice BOUCARD's garden, the body of a 4th airman was discovered, having fallen with his parachute through the branches of a chestnut tree. The bodies of four other airmen were found in Mindin, 500 m to the north, near a turret. The co-pilot, Flight Officer Thomas BAUM, was seriously wounded when he and his parachute were picked up by a German boat at the mouth of the Loire. He did not survive his injuries and was taken ashore at Saint-Nazaire for burial in the Escoublac cemetery.On December 8, 1943, 8 airmen were buried in the Pont du Cens cemetery in Nantes: Rudolph ANCHONDO, Doyle KIRKIAND, Edward LESNAK, Martin MARZOLE, Robert McNATR, James NOLAN and Walter TAYLOR. As Lester WARD 's remains had not been identified, his grave was marked Unknown! On March 15, 1945, the remains of Thomas BAUM and Doyle KIRKL AND were transferred to the Brittany American Cemetery in Saint James in the English Channel, and repatriated to a cemetery in the USA.During the December 5, 1943 mission to Cognac, 5 B24s of the 389th Bomb Group and 2 of the 392nd Bomb Group were damaged, and 2 of the planes returning to England were wounded The Oklahoman was the only plane shot down during the mission. Prisoner until the Liberation at Stalag Luft 1 Barth-Vogelsang in Prussia, Harley MASON died on August 17, 2002 in Idaho, at the age of 82.