The Night the Bomber Crashed

The Night the Bomber Crashed (HM26SQ)

Location: Woodstock, NH 03262 Grafton County
Buy New Hampshire State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 44° 2.411', W 71° 47.541'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 341 views
Inscription
January 14, 1942: the reality of World War II was brought home New Hampshire when a U.S. Army Air Corps B-18A bomber strayed off course and crashed in the White Mountains, killing crewmembers and severely injuring the other five.


The Crash

Heading back to base in Chicopee Falls, MA, from an antisubmarine patrol, the bomber crew ran into blizzard conditions. Gale force winds, blinding snow, and freezing temperatures iced up windows, disabled instruments, and affected air spend and altitude.
Lights glimpsed through a brief opening in the clouds thought to be Providence, RI, were actually, Concord, NH!
The next thing the crew saw were evergreen trees, and the plane slammed into the snow-covered slope of Mount Waternomee.

The Memorial

Despite treacherous winter conditions, the efforts of the community saved the lives of the five crewmen who survived the crash. Thanks to the Woodrow Kantner Foundation, the site is now a memorial and is a protected heritage site on the White Mountain National Forest. Please treat it with the respect it deserves: removing artifacts or disturbing the site is prohibited.

For more information and exhibits, visit the Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society on Church Street in Lincoln.


The Rescue

At 7:45 PM, North



Woodstock residents heard a plane flying dangerously low, then three explosions rocked the night. Did it crash or was it dropping bombs? A search party from Lincoln and Woodstock struggled up the mountain through thigh-deep snow in -25F temperatures, not knowing what they would find.

A mile from the crash site, they were astonished to see three injured airmen staggering towards them. Closer to the wreckage were two more, alive but critically injured.
Two others were dead. Soon after, a larger team arrived with local volunteers, medical and White Mountain National Forest personnel, and 30 lumbermen from a nearby camp to clear the way for rescue toboggans.
At 2 AM, the first three airmen reached the safety of the highway. Twelve grueling hours later, exhausted rescuers delivered the other two into waiting ambulances.


1st Lt. Anthony Benvenuto, Pilot
Brooklyn. NY
Lacerations on head/facial abrasions; spinal injuries

2nd Lt. Woodrow A. Kantner, Co-pilot
Crawford, NJ
Fractured left forearm/wrist and broken right ankle; lacerations on head/facial abrasions

2nd Lt. Fletcher M. Craig, Navigator
Gridley, CA
Lacerations above right eye, face, and on right leg

PFC Richard G. Chubb, Mechanic
North Billerica, MA
Laceration on legs and right side of face; broken jaw


PFC



Robert P. Picard, Gunner
Springfield, MA
Fractured spine/hip; fractured arm; internal and head injuries; multiple hemorrhages

PVT Raymond F. Lawrence, Gunner
Worcester, MA
Deceased; body found in rear section of bomber

PVT Noah W. Phillips, Bombardier
Fayetteville. AR
Deceased; body found in rear section of bomber


Long-term protection of this site is the goal of a partnership between the US Forest Service, the Kantner Foundation, and the Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society.
Details
HM NumberHM26SQ
Tags
Placed ByForest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, April 13th, 2018 at 7:01am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)19T E 276273 N 4880127
Decimal Degrees44.04018333, -71.79235000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 44° 2.411', W 71° 47.541'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds44° 2' 24.66" N, 71° 47' 32.46" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)603
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling East
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1712 Lost River Rd, Woodstock NH 03262, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?