Missing Air Crew Report : 2505

1.    Organization : AAF Sta 128.                  

               

       Command : 8th Air Force.
       Group : 401st.
       Squadron : 615th.

2.    Place of depature : AAF Station 128.
       Course : N-East.
       Target : Raid on Oschersleben, Germany.
       Type of mission: Operational Bombing.

3.    Weather conditions when last sighted : visibility good.

4.    Last know date : 11 jan 1944
       time : 11:40
       location : 51° 50' N- 11° East.

5.    Aircraft believed to have been lost as a result of : enemy aircrafts

6.    Aircraft type : B-17G
       serial no. : 42-39893

7.    Nickname of aircraft : No nickname.

8.    Engines : R-1820-97.

10.  Persons listed below listed as : Battle Casualties.

11.  Persons on board : Crew : 10.

12.  List crew position , name , rank , serial no. and current status :

Pilot	Donald Charles Sprecher	2nd Lt	0-804752	POW
Copilot	Zaven Noobar Masoomian	2nd Lt	0-687313	POW
Navigator	Kenneth Newton Tinklepaugh	2nd Lt	0-690506	POW
Bombardier	Glen Albert Weiss	2nd Lt	0-747630	POW
Radio Operator	Robert Eugene Allen	S/Sgt	35091629	POW
Engr / Top Turret	Ole Andersen	S/Sgt	39455398	POW
Ball Turret Gunner	Donald Wesley Smart	Sgt	36409240	POW
Tail Gunner	James Rothwell White	Sgt	37130388	KIA
Left Waist Gunner	Raymond George Vindhurst	Sgt	19085085	POW
Right Waist Gunner	Charles Robert Schmader	Sgt	33409014	KIA

13.  Person believed to have last knowledge of missing aircraft :

Crew of Fred D. Grinham     1st Lt.        0729337        615th
- Not long before target ( about 11:40 ) aircraft had a fire in No. 4 Engine.
  It went along for about 5 minutes with this fire and then opened bomb by doors.
  Fire came out of doors and increased as the plane went along.
  Two men got out from up forward and opened chutes immediatly.
  Then plane left formation and turned to right. It stayed with Wing formation for about 3 minutes.
  Then plane started coming apart. (These may have been men , it was hard to tell because of distance)
  Ship then exploded.

- Your name : DONALD CHARLES SPRECHER.
- Rank : 1st Lt.
- Serial number : 0-804752.

- Mission : Oschersleben.
- Target : FW 190 factory.
- Target time : 12:05 PM.
- Altitude : 23.500 Ft.

- Where were you when you left formation : On bomb run.

- Did you bail out : Yes.
- Did other members bail out : Yes - 8 of crew bailed out.

- Tell all you know ? : Radio - Left waist and Ball Turret gunners bailed from rear of ship.
                                        Bombardier - navigator - co-pilot left from bombardiers escape hatch.

- When did you last see any members : Saw other seven crew members after capture. Bombardiers left hand
                                                                        badly shot up. Others in fair condition.
                                                                        Also saw all crew members on route back to States after being freed.

- Your name : KENNETH NEWTON TINKLEPAUGH.
- Rank : 2nd Lt.
- Serial number : 0-690506

- Mission : Oschersleben.
- Target : FW Factory.
- Target time : About 11:30 AM.
- Altitude : 20.000 Ft.

- Where were you when you left formation : About twenty miles south of Oschersleben.

- Did you bail out : Yes.
- Did other members bail out : The other seven left alive , did.
- Tell all you know ? : Sprecher from waist, Masoomian from navigators hatch, myself from navigators hatch.
                                        Weiss from navigators hatch , Andersen from navigators hatch,                                         Allen , Smart and Vindhurst from waist window.

- Your name : ZAVEN NOOBAR MASOOMIAN.
- Rank : 2nd LT.
- Serial number : 0-687313.

- Mission : Oschersleben.
- Target time : 12:00.
- Altitude : 27.000 Ft.

- Where were you when you left formation : On the bomb run.

- Did you bail out : Yes.
- Did other members bail out : Yes , Eight in all.

- Tell all you know ? : We all bailed out within a few seconds of each other.
                                        Dont remember the others.

- When did you last see any members : They were all well and were last seen by the Pilot in Le Havre
                                                                        waiting to be sent home.

- Your name : OLE ANDERSEN.
- Rank : S/Sgt.
- Serial number : 39455398.

- Mission : Bombing.
- Target : Oschersleben.
- Target time : 11:30 AM.
- Altitude : 24.000 Ft.

- Where were you when you left formation : Halle , Germany.

- Did you bail out : Yes.
- Did other members bail out : Yes.

- Tell all you know : No knowledge.
- When did you last see any members : About a week later at Dulag Luft Frankfurt, Germany.
                                                                        All were in pretty good shape.
                                                                        Masoomian,Tinkelpaugh,Weiss,Sprecher,Allen,Smart,Vindhurst.
                                                                        Weiss lost one or two fingers, Allen had flak in leg.

  

Donald Sprecher	Illinois	1919 -	POW		Stalag Luft 1 South
Zaven Masoomian	Massachusett	1921 -	POW		Stalag Luft 1 South
Kenneth Tinklepaugh	New Mexico	1917 -	POW		Stalag Luft 1 south
Glen Weiss	South Dakota	1916 -	POW		Stalag Luft 1 South
Robert Allen	Indiana	1922 -	POW		Stalag 4
Ole Andersen	Washington	1913 -	POW		Stalag 4
Donald Smart	Michigan	1922 -	POW		Stalag Luft 4
Raymond Vindhurst	California	1917 -	POW		Stalag Luft 4
James Rothwell White	Missouri	1924 - 1944	KIA	OAK
Charles Robert Schmader	Pennsylvania	1921 - 1944	KIA	MC

OAK = Oakland , Missouri, USA      MC = st mary Crown, Clarion County