Three of the 96th Bomber Group’s B-17s fell to German fighters or flak and failed to return to RAF Snetterton Heath. The first to go down was the 339th's 42-3167; all ten men bailed out and were captured. The second was the 413’s 42-31492, Discoveree. The Discoveree received flak just after releasing its bombs. One crewmember, Staff Sergeant Bob Honer of Los Angeles County, California was killed; the remaining nine crewmembers bailed out and they too were captured.

The third was Don Weightman’s 42-31566. After its bombing run, Don’s Fortress with its crew of 10 crashed for unknown reasons, presumably in the North Sea. Perhaps informed speculation, other sources list flak as the cause of damage. Initially listed as missing-in-action, Don and the rest of the crew were officially presumed dead on February 11, 1945. 

On that mission, in total, the crews of 29 B-17s and 9 fighters were lost. Another 53 B-17s and 8 fighters were damaged. The American bomber and fighter casualties, as initially reported, were 3 killed-in-action, 4 wounded, and 304 missing-in-action; many of those initially reported missing, like Don, were later declared killed. Those were the losses for just one bombing mission. The February 10, 1944 sacrifices to deny Germany its industrial capability is a reminder of the determination and commitment of our nation and of its Greatest Generation to win the war at any cost.

These nine airmen were Don’s fellow crewmembers who also perished on that mission: