DOUBLE TROUBLE (V4) (PIC 1)

NAME

SER

BLK

SERIAL #

RCL/#

V#-P

PHOTO CREDITS

DOUBLE TROUBLE

42-73079

493

04-1

JIM HATTER

Contributor - Jim Augustus VIA Donna Colglazier (Daughter of Lt. Jim Hatter)
Shown with Pilot 2nd Lt. Donald M. Young. This aircraft was flown from Miami, FL., via the southern route to Pandaveswar, India in Oct 43, by 2nd Lt. Donald M. Young and crew. On 6 Feb 44, Lt. Young and crew were on leave in Lucknow. My dad and his crew were assigned a bombing mission in Burma on this date. They took off and developed a fuel leak in the bomb bay fuel tank. After salving the bombs, S/Sgt Randy Paschal took a crash axe and chopped the fuel tank out of the bomb bay. Returning to the field to land, they lost an outboard engine and subsequently, they couldn't get the landing gear down. After many attempts to lower the gear, they had to bring it in "gear up". The only serious injuries were the Radio Operator, who broke his back, and my dad, sitting next to him on the deck, wrenched his back. When Lt. Young returned from liberty, he wrote in his diary : "Back in the squadron again. Found out Meade wrecked old DOUBLE TROUBLE. One hell of an ending for her, if I do say so. She was a fine plane... good to the last drop!"