Background
BOAC Flight 777 was a scheduled civilian airline service operated by KLM under the British Overseas Airways Corporation. The flight was scheduled to depart from Portela Airport in Lisbon, Portugal, and arrive at Whitchurch Airport near Bristol, England. The aircraft used for the flight was a Douglas DC-3, a twin-engine airliner commonly used for passenger and cargo transport during that era.
Incident
On 1 June 1943, while flying over the Bay of Biscay, the Douglas DC-3 was attacked by eight German Junkers Ju 88 bombers. The attack caused the aircraft to crash into the sea. All 17 individuals on board, including passengers and crew, were killed in the accident.
Casualties
Among the passengers was the well-known British actor Leslie Howard, who was traveling on the flight. The other victims included the remaining passengers and the flight crew. No survivors were reported.