National Archives photos
Clockwise from top left: A Carpetbagger B-24 dropping
Once clear, Callahan pulled the ripcord. The shock of the parachute’s opening almost caused Sanders to lose his grip. Callahan then told Sanders to work his way around to Callahan’s front so that they could better hold onto each other, which Sanders did. They landed in a wheat field, with Callahan suffering a broken ankle and Sanders spraining one of his and suffering some bruises and scratches. As they began limping toward a nearby road, they heard Sadler calling out. Though badly burned on the head and arms, he managed to bail out. They were the only survivors. Callahan was awarded the Silver Star for his role in rescuing Sanders, and the crew all received Purple Hearts. After he heard the story of the rescue, Heflin asked Callahan and Sanders to re-create it. A parachute was rigged to the crane and photographers recorded their re-creation. The complete story of the rescue and accompanying photos are posted in the Carpetbagger Aviation Museum section of the Harrington Aviation Museum website and can be seen at www.harringtonmuseum.org.uk/ CarpetbaggerMuseumHomePage.htm.
containers at low level during daylight hours (a container’s parachute is just opening beneath the tail of the Liberator); Carpetbagger A-26C Invader “Queen of Spades” at Harrington in 1945, used for Red Stocking missions; black de Havilland Mosquitoes of the 492nd fitted out for Red Stocking missions; dropping through the “Joe hole.”
With Allied armies crossing the German border in January 1945, intelligence about what was happening inside Germany became a priority – particularly when senior commanders received rumors of a last-stand “National Redoubt” in the Bavarian Alps. Missions inserting agents into Germany were given the codename Joan-Eleanor Project (or JE Project), sometimes also referred to as Operation Red Stocking. As the missions included drops near Berlin and other deep penetration targets, the Liberators were judged too slow and vulnerable. JE Project missions were assigned to the newly introduced smaller, faster, twin-engine Douglas A-26 Invader. Modified Invaders were stripped of all nonessential
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