re: 8th Air Force Twin Raids on Regensburg and Schweinfurt 8/17/43

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The main fuselage decompressed so the rear gunners were all unconscious

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Seriously, I think this was the same crew.

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"We were on our our way into the enemy coast," the navigator of Ruthie II, Keith J. Koske, related in this mission's debriefing, "when we were attacked by a group of FQ-190s. [...] A second later the top turret gunner, Sergeant Tyre C. Weaver, fell through the hatch and slumped to the floor of my nose compartment. When I got to him I saw his left arm had been blown off at the shoulder and he was a mass of blood. I first tried to inject some morphine but the needle was bent and I could not get it in. As thing turned out it was best I didn't give him any.

"My first thought was to try and stop his loss of blood. I tried to appy a tourniquet, but it was impossible as the arm was off too close to the shoulder. I knew he had to have the right kind of medical treatment as soon as possible and we had almost four hours of flying time ahead of us, so there was no alternative.

"I opened the escape hatch, adjusted his chute for him. Afer I adjusted his chute and placed the ripcord ring firmly in his right hand, he must have become excited and pulled the cord, opening the pilot chute in the up-draft. I managed to gather it together and tuck it under his right arm, got him in a crouhed position with legs through hatch, making certain that is good arm was holding the chute folds together, and toppled him out into space. I learned somewhat later from out ball turret gunner, James L. Ford, that the chute opened OK. [...] (Weaver was picked up almost as soon as he hit the ground and given immediate medical attention by the Germans; in December his squadron mates learned hew was well and a prisoner of war in Stalg Luft IV.)

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