205993 James P. McKenna United States Airforce from:545 Edison Ave. Bronx, N.Y. (d.6th August 1944) Uncle Jim was flying a B-24J returning from a bombing run over Hamburg when he was forced to drop down from formation due to an aircraft above coming down nearly colliding with his ship. This exposed his ship to the flak below hitting and knocking out the 2 starboard engines. A flaming cylinder penetrated the fuselage burning through gloved crews hands and fell on the hydraulic lines causing a fire aboard. Jimmy was trying to add power with the port engines but the result was a spin or 2 on the way down. The men were unable to communicate via radio with the cockpit and all were able to bail out except for Jimmy and Austin Byrne the command pilot. By reducing power to hold the plane level the other men were able to bail out, one through the hole in the side from that hot cylinder. Jim was unable to get out in time as the plane crashed into a mud bog with his body nearby the wreckage not far from Kranz Germany. Jim was a proud son of Josephine McKenna one of 6 brothers and 3 sisters 2 who still live on today. We heard accounts of the hellacious ride down from those who survived the bail out and prison camp after being captured. He would be proud to know his nephews Edward and John McKenna Jr. are aviation experts Edward being in Air Traffic Control as a supervisor today in New York and John being in his 30th year at NASA in Flight Operations and Engineering in Houston Texas.
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