Capt West asks his crew to jump in emergency on the side of Bécon les Granits (small village about 15km from the crash), they will do it except the Lt Cramer whose parachute had partially burned and which at the same time would begin to lose consciousness due to toxic smoke from the fire, it will therefore be unable to perform this task.
As a precaution the captain drops the 4 bombs of the aircraft and continues his way in order to attempt an emergency landing. The plane comes in fires above La Meignanne, remains fall from the sky, the plane drags behind him a thick smoke and one of the engines make lots of noise.
The people present at this moment (including my great uncle aged 15 years) will see the plane distinctly approaching them, then see two bodies falling from the bomber in fires.
The captain and the lieutenant had died asphyxiated and partly burned in the aircraft even before the impact on the ground of Anjou.
Captain John Quinn West is now buried in the St. James Brittany American Cemetery: P -4 -17. Lieutenant Cramer's body was repatriated to the USA.
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