1st Lt Louis E. Hartman, pilot of the B-26 Marauder 42-107834 “Pink’s Lady II”, took off from station 166 Matching Green, Essex UK to bomb the fuel and ammunition dump located in the Senonches forest. This was their first mission of July, the previous four days having been rained out. Three waves of twelve planes took off between 0800 and 0830, but “Pink’s Lady II”’s lead plane had to turn back due to mechanical failure. Traditionally, this type of event was a bad omen. On cue, the group mistook the Dreux forest for their objective and dropped their payload there. However, this location was rife with German AA. “Pink’s Lady II” was hit by flak at 10000 feet around 1044. The right engine caught fire, prompting the crew to bail out. However, only the pilots, navigator, and radioman managed to escape by the bomb bay. Hartman hit the stabilizers on his way out, knocking him unconscious. A French local, 16 at the time, recounted that “he impacted on the top of the hill near an apple orchard. His hair and eyebrows were singed. He was literally planted upright in the ground a few dozen meters from us.” Of the other three, only one managed to escape the Germans and return to the UK.