September 26, 1944 – Daybreak

When the plane crashed into the side of the hill, Biddle was thrown against the instrument panel and injured. Neil fell from the map table, and was so distracted that at first he did not notice the gash in his head and the cut on one hand. But he knew he needed to get out of the plane. Although he felt the crash onto solid ground, he still looked for water to come cascading into the plane, as did Graham and Firestone from their positions.

George Grandy and the radio-set had been thrown forward, and George Death had hit his head. Both Georges were bruised, but not out of action.

The tail turret was touching the ground. The top hatch was open to Firestone and Graham. Firestone struggled out of the debris so fast that he bumped his head against the spar. Graham was also dizzy for a second, but Firestone boosted him out through the top hatch.

Firestone saw Biddle crawl out through the front exit. Only then was it clear to him that they had landed safely. Firestone had a bump on his head and an aching neck. He got a hand up from Graham, who pulled him out. When they jumped down to the ground, they saw people come running from nearby houses. Firestone and Graham turned to look for the rest of the crew, and to their great relief they saw that they were all safely out of the plane with no one left inside.

It all seemed to have happened in the blink of an eye. They could not believe their luck. The landing had gone incredibly well. In the final meters, Biddle had manoeuvred the plane up-slope in hilly terrain and landed in a small mountainside meadow surrounded by peaceful rural homes. Biddle had used his skill to bring a bomber to a dead-stick landing in a small clearing on the side of a hill.