B25 Bomber Trip Report

“On the night of February 2, 1943, I heard someone pounding on my front door. I was surprised to see Doc standing there, holding a lantern, jabbering something about a military plane crash and pointing north to Sharp Top Mountain. “Hurry”, he said “we need to climb up there and help those boys. They could be one of our own.”

Many of our local boys from Bedford County had volunteered to fight in this war. In the next holler over, we had three boys from the same family end up in Company A of the 116th Infantry. Their mamma said they will be going to France soon to a town called Normandy to fight in the war. What brave young men we have in our town. She is worried about them going off to war, but prays that the brothers will protect each other and come home to her safe and sound.

After quickly dressing in the warmest coats and boots I could find, I joined several other people Doc had gathered up. On the ride up to the gap, we could see various fires on the side of the mountain. Captain Johnson commented that he heard the plane sputtering as it passed over his house at a very low altitude. Another said that the plane was so low that he could see the lights on inside.

We had grown up in these parts, spending our childhoods playing in the mountain streams and gaps, and we knew that we had a very steep climb ahead of us. We trudged up the mountain, lanterns in hand, stomping our way through the snow and ice, and grabbing trees and rocks to pull us up the slope. We could smell burning fuel as the smoke from the crash site wafted by. We called out to anyone who may still be alive as we tried to ignore the smell of burning flesh. If anyone was out there, by god, we would save them.

The next day we hauled out the five dead bodies, of what we could find.

Years later we read in the newspaper that the crew’s mission was “low level, visual contact, night navigation training” which would account for the low altitude flying. The mission started in Raleigh, NC and was supposed to take them over Lynchburg. The crew possibly thought they were over Alta Vista when they passed over Bedford. They could have been looking for the lights of Lynchburg to appear on the horizon when they struck Sharp Top Mountain.

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Or so it all played out in my imagination yesterday when some friends and I visited this crash site of a B25 Bomber.....

http://community.webshots.com/user/creekdancer
last edited: 3/23/09 6:50:06 AM”

“Is this the same bomber that crashed near Cold?

I doubt mama knew ahead of time where her boys would be landing, btw :)”

“nice pics. Amazing to see all the wreckage still scattered about and no its not just someone's junk they left there. Did the site feel solemn”

“Near Cold Mountain in Amherst County? This isn't far from there. It could be the same one. Bedford County lost 35 of their sons in the war. I wanted to include a reference to that. I realize the timing was off. :)

Hyway, yes the site felt very solemn. I was disappointed to see that someone had tried to cut out the star from the tail section to take as a souvenier. Fortunately they were not successful but the cut marks are there. The mechanics tags were missing from the engines. The trip leader said they were still there a few years ago. I don't know why people take stuff like that.

Based on the direction of the tail section and the path of sheered off wings, you could guess that the plane flew through the gap right into the side of the mountain. I don't think they had much advance notice they were going to crash and die. They were all under the age of 29.”

“Good stuff. Thanks.”

“Very cool Pictures. Thanks for sharing!”

“Nice TR, CD. Thank you.

I saw "me 2" but where was "me 1", good lookin'? ;-)”

“Thanks stovie.:) It was probably a similar shot so I didn't upload it.”

“What kind of tent was that you were using, CD?”

“Henry Shires Contrail.”

“Great report. Nice picks, I wish that I could have made that trip...

'32oz”

“Om, Jerbear, and I met a couple that let us use their yard as a trailhead for a back-door hike up Cold Mtn. The fellow had a souvenier that he had collected...
Seems he said it struck trees atop Mt. Piscah, bounced, then crashed.

The Mitchell was by far the best twin engine bomber of the war - imo. Fast enough, agile, well armed, and rugged. No wonder it was the ship of choice for the Doolittle Raid.

I *just happen* to have a drawing of a Mitchell taking off from the USS Hornet in one of my portfolios.”