Second Lieutenant Watson was the pilot of
B-25C Mitchell #41-13049, serving with the
379th Bomb Squadron, 310th Bomb Group
Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina.

On September 22, 1942, during transit to
Europe, he departed the airfield at Presque
Isle, Maine for a flight leg to Gander,
Newfoundland.

Bad weather at Gander forced the group of
bombers to return. But the medium twin
engine bomber crashed, due to a structural
failure, five miles west of Wade, Maine.

That day, two German sympathizers were
arrested at the Presque Isle Army Airfield
for tampering with a B-17.

Another B-25 crashed on the same day,
also from mechanical failure, leading
to the belief that both B-25's were the
victims of sabotage. It was later determined that the airplane was over gross weight, leading to the conclusion by investigators that heavy inputs by the pilots to control the airplane led to structural disintegration of the control surfaces, leading to a total loss of control.

The airmen killed were:

2nd Lt. John F. Watson, pilot
2nd Lt. John W Rives
S/Sgt. John S Delano
S/Sgt. Eugene J Crozier
S/Sgt. James A Kviz
S/Sgt. Richard K Riddle
Sgt. Frederick W Rowbottom
~
Entered the service from New York; Service ID: O-790435.

Second Lieutenant Watson was the pilot of
B-25C Mitchell #41-13049, serving with the
379th Bomb Squadron, 310th Bomb Group
Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina.

On September 22, 1942, during transit to
Europe, he departed the airfield at Presque
Isle, Maine for a flight leg to Gander,
Newfoundland.

Bad weather at Gander forced the group of
bombers to return. But the medium twin
engine bomber crashed, due to a structural
failure, five miles west of Wade, Maine.

That day, two German sympathizers were
arrested at the Presque Isle Army Airfield
for tampering with a B-17.

Another B-25 crashed on the same day,
also from mechanical failure, leading
to the belief that both B-25's were the
victims of sabotage. It was later determined that the airplane was over gross weight, leading to the conclusion by investigators that heavy inputs by the pilots to control the airplane led to structural disintegration of the control surfaces, leading to a total loss of control.

The airmen killed were:

2nd Lt. John F. Watson, pilot
2nd Lt. John W Rives
S/Sgt. John S Delano
S/Sgt. Eugene J Crozier
S/Sgt. James A Kviz
S/Sgt. Richard K Riddle
Sgt. Frederick W Rowbottom
~
Entered the service from New York; Service ID: O-790435.