1st Lt.

Sydney Ryland Jeter

Pilot

18th Oct. 1943 - 22nd Feb. 1944

546th Bomb Squadron

384th Bombardment Group (Heavy)

Serial Nr O-795754
Pilot of B-17G #42-31516 June Bug, lost in mid-air collision near Stanwick, Northamptonshire, UK.

Sydney Ryland Jeter Jr. was born on 21st December, 1918 to parents Sydney Ryland Jeter Sr. and Clarice Siberna Carter, in Ashland, Hanover County, Virginia.

In 1938, Sydney Jr. joined the National Guard, however his love for motorbikes and interest in flying saw him start flying training during 1942, firstly in Alabama and then Florida.

During the Autumn of 1943, Sydney Jr. was to marry June Elizabeth McClure - within six weeks of this event he was to be posted overseas as part of the USAAF 8th Air Force. On the 18th October 1943 orders assigned him to the 384th Bombardment Group based at RAF Grafton Underwood, Northamptonshire. A pilot, he was posted to the 546th Bomb Squadron, arriving with nine other crew members as a replacement combat crew at a time when losses within the 384th were mounting.

His first mission came on 3rd November 1943 when he flew as Co-Pilot on a raid to Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Two days later, on the 5th November 1943, he was to Pilot his crew on a mission to Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

On 1st February 1944 Sydney Jr. was promoted to 1st Lieutenant. By the 6th February 1944, records show that Sydney Jr. had completed 14 combat missions, and on the 12th February 1944 he was sent away for a period of respite at a 'Flak House' - officially termed an 'Officers Rest Home' - located at Stanbridge Earls, Hampshire, UK.

Mission #15 was scheduled for 21st February 1944, flying B-17G #42-31516 June Bug. An issue with a feathered propellor and subsequent oil loss that prevented the un-feathering of the propellor, forced an early return to base.

B-17G #42-31516 June Bug was 'their' aircraft - the aircraft being named after Sydney Jr.'s wife June following a unaminous vote by the crew.

22nd February 1944 was slated for another mission, this to be Sydney's Jr.'s 15th for the 384th, and being the 384th Bomb Group's 65th mission overall. The target for today was an aircraft factory at Halberstadt & Aschersleben, Germany. It was a typical winters day in England, with heavy cloud, cold temperatures, and snow showers.

The 384th left the airfield and started the lengthy process of getting into formation themselves, before heading out towards Molesworth to formate with the 379th BG (Kimbolton) and the 303rd BG (Molesworth), creating the 41st Combat Wing. At around 09.30, at an altitude of 9,000 feet, the 384th elements were coming together over the area of Raunds / Stanwick, just a few miles from the airfield. They had broken through the heavy cloud base that was causing much difficulty, with visibility now much better - another formation was spotted heading towards the 384th aircraft, the assumption being that with reasonable visibility the groups would pass by unhindered. 

The approaching group was from the 303rd Bomb Group, based at RAF Molesworth, just a few miles away. For unknown reasons, neither group appear to have made any particular effort to deviate from their route, until it became clear that unless immediate action was taken the two groups risked colliding. With the 384th lead aircraft being advised to immediately dive to try and pass the group under the 303rd group, tragedy struck as B-17G #42-31516 June Bug, piloted by 1st Lt. Sydney R. Jeter Jr., collided with a B-17 from the 303rd BG. June Bug had been flying in one of upper spots of the groups' formation, and thus was the most exposed aircraft as the group attempted to dive under the 303rd aircraft.

June Bug had collied with B-17G #53-38041 Hells Angels II of the 303rd Bomb Group, 358th Bomb Squadron, based at RAF Molesworth. The impact tore the tail away from the 303rd aircraft, and damaged a wing on June Bug. With both aircraft fatally damaged, the aircraft fell, out of control - Hells Angels II crashed to the ground in fields near the River Nene, at the site of what is Stanwick Lakes today. June Bug fell to the ground on the outskirts of Irthlingborough, a short distance further down the river.

Both aircraft carried a crew of ten - tragically there were just two survivors on June Bug (Navigator 2nd Lt. William E. Bailey and Bombardier 1dt Lt. Kenneth J. Swanson), and a solitary survivor on Hells Angels II (waist gunner Sgt. David I. Miller), with seventeen crew members perishing in the accident.

Both aircraft were completely destroyed in the crash, with the effect of full fuel and bomb loads onboard spreading wreckage over a considerable area. The nearby USAAF airfield at Chelveston witnessed the incident and were first to despatch units to the crash site. By 09.48 Molesworth had been notified of the incident when the sole survivor from their aircraft telephoned the base, with ambulances subsequently being despatched. By 10.15 Grafton Underwood had received news of their two survivors, and again despatched units to the area.

Due to censorship at the time, it was not stated to relatives the cause of death. Sydney's wife June was under the impression that her husband had been killed due to damage sustained on a mission, with two of the crew being able to parachute to safety. Not until the censorship was removed did the full story come to light.

Today the 17 crew members that lost their lives, and the three that lived to fight another day, are remembered by a memorial overlooking the area that Hells Angels II crashed on. The story of the crash and aircrew involved on the day has been heavily researched by members of the Heritage team at Stanwick Lakes, who instigated the erection of the memorial on the 80th anniversary of the crash in February 2024.

With kind thanks to the 384th Bomb Group website (384thbombgroup.com) for permission in using material from their records in the making of this story. It holds a wealth of information, documents and photographs of the Group’s activities during World War 2.

Research courtesy of Keith Andrews on behalf of 384th Bombardment Group Museum. Credit is given to Michael Britton whose research is used heavily within this story, and also to Helen Norman and members of the Heritage Team at Stanwick Lake for their research on which this story also draws from.