EYEWITNESS: "A/C 43-38840 (Lil Rebel) was attacked by 2 ME 262' and received hits in the TT and #2 engine. Dense smoke came from the #2 engine and then it made a vertical slow roll on its right wing and burst into flame. It still seemed under control when 2 chutes were observed. Later it was believed to have hit the ground and exploded in a very large flame. "

The following statement was given by F/O George E. Woodham who returned to this station (#139) on 15 April 1945. :

"I was the third man to bail out of the A/C; the co-pilot and navigator ahead of me. The plane was in a dive when I bailed out, and soon after my chute opened I hit the ground. I saw no chutes at all when I was in the air, and saw none of the other members of my crew after hitting the ground. The plane crashed and exploded close to where I landed. "

On 24 Sept. 1945 at San Antonio, Texas (Personnel Center), F/O Woodham gave a similar picture of events:

"The B-17 of which he was bombardier was attacked by jet fighters at 20. 000 feet and sustained a number of hits. He states that intelligence later reported two directs hits in the tail turret. F/O 'Woodham believes that there were a number of other hits but has no idea as to how many. - He states that the interphone was out and that he saw the navigator bail out first, then the co-pilot bailed out and then F/O , Woodham bailed out. He believes that there were only three chutes in the air. He landed about
75 yards from where the plane had crashed and exploded and states further that there were two explosions. After landing, F/O Woodham ran to some woods nearby where he watched the plane burn at a distance of about 200 yards. "

It is the opinion of F/O Woodham that no member of the crew could have survived if he had not parachuted out of the stricken plane. He has written to the families of all the members of the crew giving as much information as he had. "