The Daily Briefing

On 9 August 1944, Captain Darrell Robbins Lindsey of the U.S. Army Air Corps led thirty B-26 medium bombers against the heavily fortified L’Isle Adam railroad bridge over the Seine in occupied France. This strategic target was vital for enemy troop and supply movements to Paris. Lindsey’s formation faced intense, accurate antiaircraft fire. His B-26 was peppered with holes, and his right engine received a direct hit, bursting into flames. Despite the violence hurling his aircraft out of formation, Lindsey skillfully maneuvered back into the lead position without disrupting the flight.

With fire streaming from his right engine and wing, Lindsey gallantly continued the perilous bombing run, leading his formation over the target. After the bombs were dropped with telling effect, he ordered his crew to parachute from the doomed aircraft. He held the swiftly descending plane in a steady glide until all crew members jumped to safety. Refusing an offer to lower the wheels that might jeopardize the bombardier’s escape, Lindsey remained at the controls. The right gasoline tank exploded before he could bail out, and the aircraft crashed. Lindsey’s supreme courage saved his crew.