556TH BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON, MEDIUM

(unnamed)
Martin B-26G-15-MA Marauder
Sn: 44-67880
Squadron Code: FW-H

        This aircraft only flew five sorties. Its last was on January 2, 1945, when it was to be part of an attack on the railroad bridge at Bad Munster. During take-off, the aircraft hit the prop wash of the preceding B-26 seconds after being airborne, causing the pilot to lose control. The plane crashed off the end of the runway, in a turnip field. One crew member, S/Sgt. Robert A. Leipse, was killed. All of the rest of the crew was injured; the most serious was S/Sgt. Robert H. Pitt, who spent more than ten months in the hospital and underwent numerous operations. Anyone who went to the accident scene after the crash, or saw photos of the wreckage, was amazed that anyone survived. The onboard crew were: