John Blackshoe Sends: Serendipity History

 

So, where was I?  Oh, and this is no malarkey…

  

 

The “Black Cat” was the last American bomber shot down over Germany in WW2

 

Honored by a U.S. Postal service stamp in 2005, although the stamp makes no reference to its significance.

In reality, this “Black Cat” looked a little more war weary, and was flown by multiple crews

NAME	TP	-	M#	SER	-	BLK	-	MF	SERIAL #	AF	BG	BS	SC	RCL/#	V#-P
BLACK CAT	B	-	24	JSH	-	1	-	FO	42-95592	8	466	784	T9	U	02-1

Port (Left) Side - Lost 21 Apr 45, GER - MACR 14182 - Pilot Richard Farrington, Jr.

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Sorry about the table formatting- I couldn't figure out how to fix it.- Tuna

 

This was the crew of the “Black Cat” when it became the last American bomber shot down over Germany before peace was declared. Ten of the 12 crewmen on board died in the crash, including Howard Goodner, kneeling second from right, and pilot Richard "Dickie" Farrington, standing third from right.  They all are so young.

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Around 0630 on 21 April 1945, 137 B-24 bombers from the 466th Bombardment Group left Attlebridge air base in Norfolk, England to bomb a railway bridge in Salzburg, Austria. Within the formation, Black Cat led the third squadron. However after reaching the target, the mission was abandoned due to bad weather covering the area. The lead aircraft flew a return course over Regensburg. This decision was queried by several navigators in the formation because Regensburg was a heavily bombed and defended city.  At 20,000 feet above Regensburg, the formation received eight bursts of flak. Black Cat was the only casualty. It was struck by a shell on the left wing causing the aircraft to crash. Ten of the crew were killed.   Only the bombardier, 2^nd LT Chris Manners, and tail gunner, SSGT Albert Seraydarian survived and were liberated from German POW camps within a few weeks.  Families of the crew were notified on 8 May 1945, the day Germany surrendered.

 

No more would squadron mates back at the bases in England fill out reports like this:

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The 466^th Bomb Group completed 232 missions (with lots of aircraft in each one) and lost 47 aircraft in combat, and 24 in other losses.  Each required a report like the one above.  Sucky job, every time.

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You really should take a minute and read this newspaper account of the loss of the “Black Cat” and 10 of 12 of its crew. 

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Did you notice the crew’s mascot dog in the photo?   Mascots in military units are a very old tradition, probably summed up in the modern term “emotional support animals.”   You would not believe the variety…. But that is a topic for another day.

 

The Black Cat was but a small part of the price our military and families paid for one war.  We must heed the words of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur’s farewell speech at West Point 12 May 1962:

“Yours is the profession of arms, the will to win, the sure knowledge that in war there is no substitute for victory, that if you lose, the Nation will be destroyed, that the very obsession of your public service must be Duty, Honor, Country.

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This does not mean that you are warmongers. On the contrary, the soldier above all other people prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. But always in our ears ring the ominous words of Plato, that wisest of all philosophers: "Only the dead have seen the end of war."

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