On 23 August 1944, a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Consolidated B-24H Liberator crashed during a test flight into the centre of the village of Freckleton, Lancashire, England, killing all three crewmen aboard the aircraft and 58 individuals on the ground, including 38 children aged four to six.
An official inquiry was unable to pinpoint an exact cause for the accident, although a sudden thunderstorm and the resultant reduced visibility immediately prior to the accident had caused the test pilot of the B-24H, First Lieutenant John Bloemendal, to be ordered to abandon the test flight and attempt to return to base. The report was unable to discount structural failure of the aircraft in such extreme weather conditions as a factor for the accident, and recommended that American pilots be warned how to respond to British thunderstorms.
This aviation accident would prove to be the deadliest to occur in Britain during World War II, and remained the second worst aviation accident in the world (in terms of number of fatalities) until the 1950 Llandow air disaster.
Background The year after the outbreak of World War II, the British Air Ministry announced plans to construct an aircraft factory and airfield close to the Lancashire village of Warton. The site was also intended to serve as a satellite airfield for the RAF Coastal Command station, based in Squires Gate, Blackpool, and for both economic and patriotic reasons, the decision to construct this airfield was welcomed by locals. This location was initially known as the Warton Air Depot, but became known in 1943 as Base Air Depot No. 2 (BAD-2).
The vicinity of the Fylde was spared any destruction during the 1940–41 Blitz air raids upon the United Kingdom. Following America's decision to enter World War II in December 1941, many assembled aircraft were initially transported into the UK via Atlantic shipping routes, at great risk, with significant delay, and with numerous losses. As such, the need for the Allies to identify strategic geographical locations to build and maintain aircraft within Britain to fight the Axis powers across Europe became increasingly apparent and urgent.
RAF Warton
In January 1942, a decision was made for the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) to operate RAF Warton as one of four air depots across the United Kingdom in order that aircraft could be assembled or modified, then tested prior to their active front line service elsewhere in Britain and locations such as continental Europe and the Mediterranean. RAF Warton was earmarked to primarily specialise in the construction, modification and maintenance of Consolidated B-24 Liberator aircraft in addition to performing modifications and repairs upon aircraft guns and flight instruments. The existing site was expanded, with numerous hangars, test sheds, a hospital and barracks constructed, and the three existing runways extended to accommodate the requirements of American military aircraft. These modifications saw the airbase significantly expand to encompass a large area in and around Warton and the neighbouring village of Freckleton. Despite some initial delays, the air depot was almost complete by the end of 1942. The first American servicemen to be stationed at RAF Warton arrived at the base on 18 August that year.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) officially handed all control of Warton Air Depot to the American military on 17 July 1943 in a ceremony which saw Lieutenant General Henry J. F. Miller formally accept control of the base from the RAF. Three months later, the base officially became known as Base Air Depot No. 2. Operational 24 hours a day by 1944, over 10,000 aircraft, 38,400 aircraft guns, and 375,380 flight instruments would be processed at BAD-2 before the American military returned control of the site to the RAF in late 1945.
By 1944, approximately 10,400 American servicemen were deployed at BAD-2. The month of August alone saw approximately 80 aircraft fly to or from the airbase daily. In efforts to maintain the morale of the servicemen stationed at the base, celebrities, musicians and entertainers such as Glenn Miller, Joe Louis, Billy Conn and Mitzi Mayfair frequently visited the base to meet and entertain the troops.
Local relations With a population slightly below 1,000, the adjacent village to the east of BAD-2, Freckleton, became colloquially known to servicemen and residents alike as 'Little America'. Relations between the American servicemen and locals were hospitable, and servicemen are known to have raised funds for the British Army, Navy and Air Force Relief Fund. Some servicemen also formed relationships with local women. On one occasion at Christmas 1943, Freckleton residents were invited to the base for a holiday party, where servicemen gave local children toys and American candy.
Several servicemen were known to spend off-duty hours socialising in and around the village, drinking in local pubs such as The Ship Inn and the Coach and Horses and visiting the amusements in nearby Blackpool. One popular location in Freckleton was the Sad Sack Snack Bar, which was a popular eatery with locals and both American and British servicemen. The Sad Sack Snack Bar was a converted garage on Lytham Road which had been reconstructed into a cafè. Named after a contemporary American comic book character, this eatery was owned and operated by locals Alan and Rachel Whittle and had been established to primarily cater to servicemen. The Whittles employed a small number of local women as waitresses and cooks. Their 15-year-old daughter, Pearl, also occasionally assisted her parents at the premises.
Classy Chassis II On 6 August 1944, another 25-ton Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber arrived at BAD-2 for repairs, refurbishment, inspection and subsequent test flights prior to intended return to active service. This particular aircraft was named the Classy Chassis II and featured nose art depicting a scantily clad brunette sitting upon a cloud, glancing backwards and suggestively smiling while unfastening her bra. The USAAF serial number of this aircraft was 42-50291.
Constructed in Fort Worth, Texas, at the beginning of the year by Consolidated Aircraft, this aircraft featured unique changes in both the nose turret and tail turret from the standard model, which affected the centre of gravity of the aircraft. The Classy Chassis II had seen action in occupied France with the 486th Bombardment Group that summer; attacking strategic German strongholds such as airbases. The necessary repairs to be conducted at BAD-2 included flak damage. However, all requested refurbishments were completed by 22 August. That afternoon, Corporal Roy Lewis completed all the necessary paperwork pertaining to the repairs and refurbishment of the aircraft. Cpl. Lewis also performed all required pre-flight inspections. The paperwork relating to these inspections indicated the fuel tanks of the Classy Chassis II were filled to capacity with 2,793 gallons of aviation fuel.
Test flight At approximately 10:36 on the morning of 23 August 1944, two newly refurbished B-24 aircraft departed Base Air Depot No. 2 on scheduled test flights prior to their intended delivery to the Eighth Air Force. The pilots chosen to conduct these test flights were 27 and 28-year-old first lieutenants, John Allen Bloemendal and Peter Manassero. Both men were experienced test pilots, with Lt. Bloemendal—who had enlisted in the USAAF in March 1942—having accrued over 740 hours' service as a test pilot at BAD-2. Over 250 of these hours had been accrued as he flew B-24 aircraft. Lieutenant Bloemendal was selected to pilot the Classy Chassis II.
This test flight had originally been scheduled for 8.30 a.m. However, immediately prior to all crew boarding their aircraft, Lt. Bloemendal, as officer of the day, received a phone call informing him he was needed elsewhere on base. As such, a decision was made for the test flights to be postponed for two hours.
Both pilots flew their B-24s north from the base at an altitude of approximately 1,500 feet for approximately five minutes before Lt. Bloemendal informed Lt. Manassero of a cloud formation to their south-southeast. Lt. Manassero would later recollect the formation was "a very impressive sight," reminiscent of a "thunderhead". Almost simultaneously, staff at BAD-2 were informed via a weather station based at Burtonwood of a violent storm incoming from the direction of Warrington. In response, Lieutenant Colonel William Britton contacted the control tower, ordering the two airborne craft to land "at once". Both pilots—approximately four-and-a-half miles from base—were then ordered to land their B-24 aircraft on runway 08 at the airfield at 10.41 a.m., with both pilots being informed the runway was clear for their landings. Both aircraft descended to a distance of approximately 500 feet and approached the runway with lowered landing gear minutes later.
Thunderstorm By the time the pilots had returned to the vicinity of the airfield, however, the sky around Freckleton had significantly darkened. Sounds of thunder and streaks of lightning were also observed from the control tower at BAD-2 and by local residents. One child within Freckleton's Holy Trinity School would later recollect: "The sky [suddenly became] black and blue. Every colour you could think of." To dispel the fear of the pupils in the infants' classroom, teachers Jennie Hall and Louisa Hulme encouraged the children to sing nursery rhymes with them. Teachers within classrooms containing slightly older children attempted to distract their pupils with activities such as reading poetry and reviewing times tables. The headteacher of the school, a Mr. Billington, instructed a 13-year-old pupil, Jackie Nichol, to check each of the school's cloakrooms and classrooms to ensure all windows were closed.
Ray Cox, a Freckleton resident walking along Lytham Road, sought refuge from the torrential rain which had also begun to fall by running to an enclosed bus stop across the road from the Sad Sack Snack Bar. Cox later stated the sudden rain was so intense he was unable to see the cafè or any other buildings located across the road. Sudden winds in the vicinity of Freckleton also switched from a northeasterly direction to a southwesterly one and back within a matter of minutes. All these factors significantly reduced the pilots' visibility to approximately 500 yards and lowered the aeronautic ceiling to approximately 400 feet.
While Lt. Bloemendal and Lt. Manassero were flying in formation and approaching the airfield and runway 08, Lt. Bloemendal reported to the control tower that he was aborting his attempt to land upon the runway, and while raising his landing gear would perform a go-around. Instead of landing, Lt. Manassero opted to fly his B-24 north to escape the storm. He would fly for almost ten miles with his aircraft barely above tree canopies before he was able to regain a safe altitude. Shortly afterwards, and out of sight of Lt. Manassero's aircraft, Lt. Bloemendal crashed into the village of Freckleton, northeast of the airfield.
Aviation accident After contacting the control tower, Lt. Bloemendal—flying at a low altitude and with reduced visibility—began struggling against violent turbulence. In an effort to gain altitude, he ordered his co-pilot, 24-year-old Technical Sergeant James Manuel Parr, to increase the speed of the B-24. His aircraft then severed the top of a tree before the right wing of the B-24 clipped the corner of an unoccupied building as the wings of the aircraft were positioned almost vertical. This impact severed the tip of the wing, which ploughed along the ground and through a hedge.