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Radio Operator T/Sgt Lloyd Lauger, later rendered the following report on the crew's mishap: that the plane left the bomber formation immediately over the target and that all members accept the four who perished did bail out. The Navigator, 2nd Lt Joseph F. Waters' report amended that account slightly by stating that F/O Jonas E. Weiss, the Bombardier, was prepared to bail out of the plane when the Navigator made his jump - and later he (Waters) was advised by the Germans that the Bombardiers parachute had not opened (though the Germans reported four bodies in the ship). The surviving Waist Gunner, S/Sgt Fred F. Stickely, cast clearer light on the bail out when he stated in his later report that all men in het wais section had checked each others chutes, preparatory to jumping, when the right wing burned off (exploded) causing him to be ejected through the open waist window, and thereafter he counted only six opened chutes in the air, crewmen later identified. A review of all later crew member accounts indicates that the men in the waist were pinned in when the wing came off presumably and the Bombardier also was unable to bail out for the same reason.