Operation Aphrodite made use of unmanned, explosive-laden
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and
B-24 Liberator bombers, that were deliberately crashed into their targets under
radio control.
[3] These aircraft could not take off safely on their own, so a crew of two would take off and fly to 2,000 feet (610 m) before activating the remote control system, arming the detonators and parachuting from the aircraft.
After U.S. Army Air Forces operation missions were drawn up on July 23, 1944, Kennedy and
Lieutenant Wilford John Willy were designated as the first Navy flight crew. Willy had "pulled rank" over
Ensign James Simpson (who was Kennedy's regular co-pilot) to be on the mission. They flew a
BQ-8 "robot" aircraft (a converted B-24 Liberator) for the U.S. Navy's first Aphrodite mission. Two
Lockheed Ventura mother planes and a
Boeing B-17 navigation plane took off from
RAF Fersfield at 1800 on 12 August 1944. Then the BQ-8 aircraft, loaded with 21,170 lb (9,600 kg) of
Torpex, took off. It was to be used against the
Fortress of Mimoyecques and its
V-3 cannons in northern France.
[4]
Following behind them in a
USAAF F-8 Mosquito to film the mission were pilot Lt. Robert A. Tunnel and combat camera man Lt. David J. McCarthy, who filmed the event from the perspex nose.
[5] As planned, Kennedy and Willy remained aboard as the
BQ-8 completed its first remote-controlled turn at 2,000 feet near the North Sea coast. Kennedy and Willy removed the safety pin arming the explosive package and Kennedy radioed the agreed code
Spade Flush, his last words.Two minutes later (and well before the planned crew bailout, near
RAF Manston), the
Torpex explosive detonated prematurely and destroyed the Liberator, killing Kennedy and Willy instantly. Wreckage landed near the village of
Blythburgh in
Suffolk, England, causing widespread damage and small fires, but no injuries on the ground. According to one report, a total of 59 buildings were damaged in a nearby coastal town.
