70 years ago today: 13th September, 1944. Mission Number 194 to Merseburg Altenburg Oil Refineries; 4 lost. T/Sgt. Theodore C. Franklin - 327 Sq - RO - awarded Soldiers Medal for rescuing T/Sgt. Wm. A. Sanderson - F/E - from burning plane although severely wounded. 92nd Bomb Group Fames Favored Few-Turner, 92nd Mission List from-92ndma.org/missions.html and 92nd B-17 Aircraft Roster (Sources): “It was another rough mission. Flak was moderate but accurate, fighters left us pretty much alone. The 327th lost 4—2nd Lt Warren D. Stallings [42-31995 (327th) MACR 8885, lost an engine over the target but made it to Dubendorf, Switzerland, where the crew was interned. 1st Lt Harry W. Eck, [42-31250 (327th) MACR 8882], hit by flak, crashed at Neustadt, Germany—8 KIA, 1 POW. 1st Lt Jack A. Peck, [42-97848 (327th) MACR 10286], also damaged by flak, crashed at Altenburg, Germany—7 KIA, 2 POW. 1st Lt Howard C. Donlon [43-38389 (327th) MACR 8889, was blasted by flak about 10 miles due east of Merseburg, the aircraft breaking in two with fire blazing from the radio room to the tail. He slid out of formation, dropping to about 22,000 feet, where the aircraft blew up, according to five eyewitnesses. The ship landed at Brandis, Germany—8 KIA, 2 POW. 1st Lt E. E. Hendrickson 44-6158 (327th) MACR 8881], made it back to England after being hit in the bomb bay/radio room area. Seriously damaged, he made an emergency landing at RAF Woodbridge—1 KIA, 1 WIA and 1 MIA. The aircraft was salvaged a few days later. [Note: The missing crewman was T/Sgt William B. Post, radio operator/gunner, who was blown from the aircraft—his 23rd mission. His parachute had only one snap onto his harness, which held when his canopy, full of holes, deployed. He was found by a group of angry German civilians who were restrained by a soldier. Badly wounded, he was hospitalized, then became a POW, returning to the US after the war.” (Turner) Appendix A: MERSEBURG, 13th September, 1944—Donlon, Howard C; Ruckman, Robert L; Gburczyk, Julius W; Vicars, Henry C; Christenson, Orin E; Turner, Robert G; Matlock, John D; Marino, Joe R; Butler, Wayne F; Krause, Gustave W; Peck, Jack A; McMahon, Gilbert E, Jr.; Yaksh, Edwin; Reynolds, Robert E; Martin, Richard E; Greene, James A; Pemberton, Robert G; Eck, Harry W; Wren, Clyde L; Sauer, John R; Wasilewski, Emil T; Hogan, John E; Keeney, Clifford E; Bono, John J; Clark, George F; Deitman, Thomas G; Stallings, Warren D; McGovern, James M; O’Connell, John P; Matthews, Harold H; Beattie, Thomas J; Lasco, Melvin; Hensley, Frank E; Katainen, Rudolph A; Schnaebele, Ernest F. Many thanks to Candy Kyler Brown.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 10:50:13 +0000
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