Port Moresby). Britton, having returned to his seat for the balance of the flight, landed at Dobodura without working flaps or brakes, requiring him to carefully ground loop Old 666 near the end of the runway. There was no further damage to the B-17. Aftermath In all, four members of the aircrew were wounded and one killed. Old 666 had suffered five 20mm cannon hits and 187 bullet holes. While the aircrew reported downing five Zeros, Japanese records show none were shot down, with one ditching early in the engagement, due to engine failure, and only three being damaged by return fire. Zeamer's injuries were reported in the New York Daily News on June 24, and the International News Service (INS) reported Sarnoski's death on August 10. An overall recounting of the mission was published in March 1944. For the completion of their mission, despite the certainty of attack and their respective sacrifices, Sarnoski and Zeamer were each awarded the Medal of Honor, with the remainder of the aircrew receiving the Distinguished Service Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor. The mission remains the most highly decorated in American history, and the Eager Beavers, with their individual decorations considered together, the most highly-decorated aircrew in U.S. history. Seven of the eight Zero pilots who intercepted Old 666 later participated in a strike on Allied shipping at Lunga Point that same day. Two of them, Warrant Officer Yoshio Oki and Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Suehiro Yamamoto, failed to return. By mid-1943, like most heavy bomb groups in the Pacific, the 43rd had mostly converted to the B-24. The aging and much-abused Pacific Flying Fortresses were increasingly difficult to maintain, and the longer range of the B-24 made it more practical in a theater of war defined by the vast distances to targets. Due to its specialized nature, 41-2666 evaded retirement despite the damage it received on the 16 June 1943 mission. Repairs and modifications reversed many of the alterations made by the Eager Beavers. It was returned to the 8th PRS, and by fall it had even returned to combat, flying two missions with the 63rd Bombardment Squadron. By March 1944, Lucy had been returned to the US to be used as a base transport aircraft and later as a heavy bomber trainer. It was finally flown to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in August 1945 to be sold for scrap.