Sgt. Raymond G. Mears |
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| Seargent Raymond G. Mears was the waist gunner
of a B-24J that crashed at Tincourt-Boucly, Department of the Somme, France, early in the
morning of November 10, 1944. According to a Sgt. Danahy, who was the Radio Operator on the Plane; he stated that Sgt. Mears was his helper in handling the radar jamming equipment and that he and Mears adjusted each other's parachute when they were told to bail out. Danahy was part way out of the escape hatch when Mears told him, he was going to go forward to check on Bartho (his best friend, who was very old for such stuff, at 38). He could not understand why Bartho had not come back to bail out. Everyone had been told to bail out twice, once to prepare to bail out and once to bail out. Danahy was half way out of the escape hatch and tried to get back in, but was unable to do so. He lived. Another crewmember, the Navigator ( Lt. Grey) was already in the nose turret aiding Bartho. |
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From the information available in
the files, it is believed that Sgt. Mears found the Navigator, Lt. Grey, trying to help
Bartho get out of the nose turret, which was stuck due to the failure of the hydraulic
system motor. It is known that both of them rode the bomber down, even when they knew they
should bail out, in a futile effort to free their fellow crewman and friend. All three
died in the crash and their major remains are buried in a common grave at Cartigny,
France. From the information available in the files, it is believed that Sgt. Mears found the Navigator, Lt. Grey, trying to help Bartho get out of the nose turret, which was stuck due to the failure of the hydraulic system motor. It is known that both of them rode the bomber down, even when they knew they should bail out, in a futile effort to free their fellow crewman and friend. All three died in the crash and their major remains are buried in a common grave at Cartigny, France. Sgt. Mears and Lt. Grey could have left the plane at any time but did not. At some point, after the pilot bailed out and the plane began to dive, they could have jumped. But they didn't; and after some point, all three had some time to realize what was going to be their fate There is a book, written by the son of a fellow who flew in the same squadron, that is an excellent source and it will tell you of what happened in the air and to the men who survived. The book is titled: Squadron Of Deception - The 36th Bomb Squadron in World War II, Stephen Huttton, a Schiffer Military History, ISBN: 0-7643-0796-7. It should be available at any library. Mears picture is in it, with the rest of the crew.
Information on Sgt. Mears provided by: Battery Corporal
Willis S. Cole Military Museum |
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