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(Saturday, August 12, 1944, 6:20 p.m. British Double Summer Time (BDST); during World War II) — Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., a 29-year-old U.S. Navy lieutenant and the eldest son of Joseph and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, tragically lost his life tonight along with his co-pilot when their explosives-laden PB4Y-1 Liberator detonated prematurely over Blythburgh, England.

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Kennedy and his co-pilot, Wilford John Willy, were piloting a BQ-8 “robot” aircraft, a converted B-24 Liberator, as part of Operation Aphrodite.

Their mission aimed to target a suspected V-2 development site at Mimoyecques, France. Departing from RAF Fersfield, Norfolk, England, the BQ-8 carried 21,170 lb. of Torpex explosive.

As the BQ-8 reached 2,000 ft., Kennedy and Willy armed the explosives, with Kennedy radioing the code “Spade Flush” as his final communication. Sadly, the explosives detonated prematurely, resulting in the destruction of the aircraft and the instant deaths of Kennedy and Willy. Kennedy’s remains were never recovered.

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Joseph Kennedy Sr. had envisioned a political future for his eldest son, hoping he would become President of the United States. Joseph Jr. was a delegate to the 1940 Democratic National Convention and planned to pursue a congressional seat after his military service, a step towards fulfilling his father’s ambitions.

Following Joseph Jr.’s tragic death on this classified mission, his father redirected his aspirations to his next-oldest son, John F. Kennedy, who would later fulfill the political path originally envisioned for his elder brother, progressing from the House of Representatives to the U.S. Senate and ultimately to the presidency.