A more finished style of lettering than the early versions but still no image, this Fort was assigned to Robert Smith's crew initially and he took it to Lille, Rouen and Lorient before a succession of other crews took over.

James Ferguson took "Yankee Raider" to the U-boat pens at Lorient on 18th November 1942 and was hit by flak which wounded co-pilot Robert Desp and one of the waist gunners. Lt Gillogly raided Wilhelmshaven on 27th January 1943 and suffered flak holes in his right wing, Marlen Reber had a hole punched through the tail over the same target a month later. It proved an unlucky target for the "Raider" when yet again flak and 20mm cannon fire peppered the wings, tail and fuselage in late March.

In August, striking targets in the Ruhr Valley, "Yankee Raider" received yet more flak and cannon damage in the fuselage, elevators, #3 engine and #2 propeller. This put the combat veteran out of action for ten days or so until it was repaired and transferred out to the 384th Bomb Group. It didn't last long. On 6th September, badly shot up it was abandoned near the Channel coast and crashed onto an old airfield at Etrepagny. The pilot James Armstrong and two other managed to evade capture but one man was killed.

 

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© Ray Bowden 30 November 2023