Gotta
Match had the left engine shot out by flak over
the Reiti Railroad bridge, the target on 5 June 1944.
The aircraft had just reached the coast when the remaining
engine started to falter due to a damaged oil feed line.
The pilot, Lt. John S. MacKinnon skirted the coast attempting
to make Nettuno, but the aircraft was losing altitude
too quickly. He made a dead stick landing in the water
next to the beach. The crew who were uninjured climbed
out to the aircraft onto the wing and stepped ashore.
The pilot was awarded the DFC for his actions.
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