Nov.1983 Richard Scroxton relates what occurred:

"We were in the #3 position slightly behind and below the element lead. As we neared our target of Berlin, the sky was clear but we were leaving heavy contrails. There had been no warning of bandits when our tail gunner opened fire. Four ME-262s came in hidden by the contrails and hit four of us. I had one quick glance of ours just off our left wing tip which was then five feet too short. Our element lead was also hit and turned directly into us. We turned in formation and he slipped below us. This change in position was not noted by the person who wrote the report as it applied to the other plane. (He is here referring to a report of an eyewitness who had said that Scroxton's a/c had the entire left wing afire and that two men Were seen to jump from the ship. jb) No one bailed out of our plane  partly because several chutes were destroyed. In addition to the wingtip damage, 4 engine prop was hit resulting in very severe vibrations. These and other hits on #2 and #3 made it clear that we were no longer a part of the formation. I gave the pilot a heading of due East we crossed the Oder river front line at 9,000 ft down from 33,000. At 2,000 ft. we were able to maintain altitude and picked an open field  We did take one very close flak burst that ripped up the chutes near the front escape hatch. We landed near a town in Poland called Kostian. We thought that our troubles were over when we landed   gave away all our provisions,  even those in the life raft. We spent that day and next with Russians then they put us on our own. We traveled by horse cart, railroad flat car, etc. until we got to Lodz. There we met a crew with a C47 who had flown in to evacuate an injured airman   it turned out to be Capt. Ernst of the 100th. (Ernst had flown as pilot of a mission on 3/2/45   Robt. Rosenthal Command pilot   and suffered a wound which caused amputation of his leg. jb) We flew with him to Poltava. Melvin Madsen had left us in Poland due to sickness but he got back to the States before we got back to England. As we got off the plane in Poltava, I saw a classmate from Navigation school who had arrived the day before and left the next day. We expected to do the same but the Russians had other ideas. We were not allowed to leave or write for four weeks. We left Poltava on April 23 in a B 17 with another crew. We landed in Bari, Italy dropping off the other crew then flew to Caserta and stayed two days then flew back to England landing at Thorpe Abbotts on 25 April 1945."

Information received in October 1994 from the Polish Historian, Mr Michat Mucha, places the the crash site of 44-8295 in a village of Turew farm field. This is near the town of Koscian, Poland. Mr. Mucha gives the coordinates as 52° 05' North and 16°47' East. ..pw

Events after crash landing in Russia:

More comments from Richard Scroxton (mpf Nov 2007)

Just a few months ago, I was able to establish the true landing spot for A/C “295”, our plane on Berlin mission 18 March 1945. The nearest town is Wilkowo Polskie. It is a little WSW of Koscian where we were first taken by Russians. Our early reports listed Koscian as that was the only place we documented. Then about ten years ago, a fellow who lives in Poznan sent me pictures of a field where a plane had landed that day near town of Turew. That proved to be not our plane. We think we know whose plane it was. I was able to establish the true site by a photograph of the plane taken several weeks after we landed. While the sheet metal had been removed with most of the markings, the photo showed very clearly damage to prop on #4 engine I had documented this damage several times. A prop blade was hit a few inches from end and split the blade without removing any metal. This caused very severe vibrations requiring that engine to be slowed down to just a few rpms. When we landed, I wanted to know what damage had been done and this was clearly the answer. I am 100% certain that this damage would not occur on any other plane that landed that day. In addition, reports about the landing are in complete agreement with facts- mention of severe damage to left wing tip-- we blew the Tokio tank, and mention of a gal being married wearing silk from a parachute we donated.

I had heard the name White Cargo several years ago, but had no documentation so never put it in my reports. I am delighted to now have proof and to see your picture of the plane in England with the nose art on display.