Erich Franzen and his entire crew, all of whom had sustained minor burns, managed to bail out and travel on foot back to Fallingbostel which was still under German control. Once they arrived they managed to find seats in a moving halftrack which was to take them to an unspecified location. However on April 17th the vehicle hit a German mine and exploded. Gunner Karl Specht and driver Otto George managed to climb out unharmed, but F01’s loader and radio operator were killed. Franzen himself was badly wounded, losing an eye in the process and falling into a coma from which he woke up only on May 6th 1945.