Heinkel He 177 Units of World War 2 (Combat Aircraft) by Robert Forsyth

Author:Robert Forsyth [Forsyth, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472820419
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2018-07-25T23:00:00+00:00

As engines rev up, aircrew mingle with groundcrew as they prepare to board a He 177 on a wet day at Bordeaux-Mérignac (Author’s collection)

When the weapon exploded, it started a fire in the ship’s engine room and scattered debris amidst the machinery and pipework, knocking out the lights, communications and pressure system. Some 300 men died in the blast. Exacerbating the subsequent loss of life was the fact that most of the vessel’s lifeboats had either been destroyed or were defective, while many of the rubber life-rafts were also unusable. Rohna sank within an hour. The convoy commander ordered a small number of vessels to pick up survivors from the oil-blackened water, but in the growing darkness and swelling sea, their work was greatly impeded. As a result, 1015 American servicemen, 120 British and Indian crewmembers, 11 gunners and three Red Cross workers perished. It was the worst disaster at sea to befall the American military.

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