SSgt Merril E. Brewer, radio operator of the B-24 Liberator 42-50603, took off from Harrington, UK at 2230 on a mission to resupply Resistance fighters as part of Operation Carpetbagger. Unbeknownst to them due to its late arrival, the CO out at the control tower to monitor the departure of aircraft in bad weather, his staff assuming the information was not vital, and the late arrival of said information from the unit in question, a battery of US AA guns were positioned along their flight path. The device used to distinguish friend from foe, the IFF, was turned off on the advice of Group Command due to German fighters honing in on them. Thus, they were shot at four times by that American AA battery. All four hits registered on the aircraft and caused it to crash, killing all but two crew members due to a string of human error by all parties involved.