TSgt Samuel Nathan Blatchford, radio operator of the B-17 42-29901, took off from station 117 Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, UK on a bombing mission over Nantes’ bridges and airfields. The B17 was hit by an aerial bomb dropped by an FW190-A6 of 10/JG-2, flown by Fw. Alfred Geisthardt. It seems likely that this hit the foreward fuselage as none of the crew in this section survived, whilst most of the rear fuselage crew managed to get out before the aircraft crashed near Grand-Fougery. The attack took place at 7000m at 15.48, as recorded by the Fw190 gun camera. Blatchford managed to bail out and was helped by French locals and the Resistance. However, he was captured by Germans on Christmas Eve and tortured due to his Apache ancestry. He was later deported to Stalag 17B at Braunau, Gneikendorf.

Blatchford retired from the military service in 1977. He received 28 medals including the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with an oak leaf cluster, four Purple Hearts, six Air Medals and a Prisoner of War Medal. He was honored for his contributions to the war by the French Underground and the French government. Adopted by the Sioux Nation, he was given the Yellow Eagle Feather which is the highest honor given to a Lakota warrior. He died on December 23, 2005 at the age of 81 in Lander, Wyoming and is now buried in the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.