B-17G 42-39969 614th
11 January 1944 Mission #14 Target: Oschersleben
11 January 44 , 0845 hours , engines are on.
33 planes are off on mission #14 , target today is a aircraft plant in Oschersleben , Germany.
The plane was attacked by enemy fighters ( JU-88's ).
All men bailed out and are POW`s
Missing Air Crew Report : 2508
1. Organization : AAF Sta 128.
Command : 8th Air Force.
Group : 401st.
Squadron : 614th.
2. Place of depature : AAF Station 128.
Course :East.
Target : Oschersleben, Germany.
Type of mission: Operational Bombing.
3. Weather conditions when last sighted : Good visibility.
4. Last know date : 11 jan 1944
time : 11:30
location : 51° 35' N- 10° 30' East.
5. Aircraft believed to have been lost as a result of : enemy aircrafts
6. Aircraft type : B-17G
serial no. : 42-39969
7. Nickname of aircraft : --
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 |
James Harry Foster |
Capt. |
0-438942 |
POW |
Copilot |
Frank Chester Miller |
1st Lt |
0-726807 |
POW |
Navigator |
Jeo Joseph Casagrande |
1st Lt |
0-675986 |
POW |
Bombardier |
Thomas Leo Cameron |
1st Lt |
0-728625 |
POW |
Radio Operator |
Jospeh Mehalshick |
T/Sgt |
13128235 |
POW |
Engr / Top Turret |
Tory Lee Campbell |
T/Sgt |
39539988 |
POW |
Ball Turret Gunner |
Harold Chester Brown |
S/Sgt |
31202404 |
POW |
Tail Gunner |
William Joseph Orphan |
S/Sgt |
11117687 |
POW |
Left Waist Gunner |
Glen William Graves |
S/Sgt |
38085660 |
POW |
Right Waist Gunner |
Walter Irvin Hathaway |
S/Sgt |
32476518 |
POW |
13. Person believed to have last knowledge of missing aircraft :
Crew of Samuel P. Wilson 2nd Lt. 0667623 614th
- At about 1130 just before IP ( location about 51° 35' N- 10° 30' E ) at 20,000 feet a consentrated burst from
enemy aircraft hit right wing behind #4 engine.
Gasoline poured out and both wings caught fire.
The aircraft pulled out of formation and was then attacked by 3 JU-88's .
Five parachutes were seen to open. Two of them coming from the nose and three from the side section.
After observing this Wilson's crew lost sight of the A/C as attacks were being directed towards their ship.
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Mission to Oschersleben, germany, attacked by 3 JU-88's.
Crashed near Northeim, Germany
Missing Air Crew Report by Captain Ken W. Dauble.
Telegram from Oberursel
14 Jan. 1015 Hrs, To Hq. Air District XI , Hamburg - Blankensee.
On Jan. 13, 1944 6 km W.S.W.Osterode/Harz found wreck of American bomber downed , 1/11/44 at 1130Hrs.
Craft completely destroyed and burnt. Type cannot be found out.
One type-plate with the following insciption was found: ,
AIR BELL CRAFT, BUFFALO, U.S.A. MODEL CUSTOMER, BELL ARMY CUSTOMER.
No bodies were found. According to statements of the population the crew bailed out by parachutes.
One man of the crew has been captured and has been transmitted to Oberursel through Hq. Air Base Goettingen.
Name and indentification tag of this one are : Captain James H. Foster 438942.
At the place of crash are still 7 bombs about 1 m long and 40 cm in diameter.
Hq. Base district 12/XI, M/Sgt. Meier, has been notified of this Jan. 13, 1944 by phone.
Hq. Air Base Goslar salvages the wreck of this plane.
The type-plate found was sent to Evaluation Center Oberursel today.
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Casualty questionaire
This is the report a crewmember writes after he was back in England
- Your name : WILLIAM JOSEPH ORPHAN.
- Rank : S/Sgt.
- Serial number : 11117687.
- Mission : Bombing.
- Target : Oschersleben , near Brunswick.
- Target time : --
- Altitude : About 20.000 Ft.
- Did you bail out : Yes.
- Did other members bail out : Yes.
- Tell all you know : Waist gunner , Ball gunner . Radio man and tail gunner bailed out main ( rear ) door.
Pilot , Co-pilot , Navigator , Bombadier, Top turret bailed out front escape hatch.
- When did you last see any members :
- Joseph Mehalshick - Radio in France, Glen Graves, Armorer in France ( camp Lucky Strike ) May 1945.
- Captain James Foster , Pilot , in France.
- 1st Lt. Casagrande, Navigator, 1st Lt. Cameron, Bombardier , S/Sgt. Tory Lee Campbell , Top turret all
last seen in Camp Lucky Strike , LaHavre , France May 1945.
- I saw Walter Hathaway at Atlantic City, Aug 1945 and T/Sgt Harold Brown in Boston April 7th 1946.
- I was in Stalag 17-B Krems, Austria, with all enlisted men of crew including Tory Lee Campbell, we all
got to camp Lucky Strike safely, that is the last time I saw or heard about him, he seemed in good spirits
and health.
Camp Lucky Strike is located at Le Havre, France, we were evacuated from Brauna , Austria by C-47's to
LeHavre.
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Camp Lucky Strike , LeHavre , France
- Your name : HAROLD CHESTER BROWN.
- Rank : T/Sgt.
- Serial number : 31202404
- Mission : Bombing.
- Target : Oschersleben.
- Target time : About 11:30.
- Altitude : 20.000 Ft.
- Where were you when you left formation : Manding left waist gun.
- Did you bail out : Yes.
- Did other members bail out : Yes, everyine got out.
- Tell all you know : Orphan, Graves, Hathaway, Mehalshick bailed out rear door.
Capt Foster and rest of officers and Campbell bailed out front hatch.
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- Your name : WALTER IRVIN HATHAWAY.
- Rank : T/Sgt.
- Serial number : 32476518.
- Mission : Air field.
- Target : Oschersleben.
- Target time : About 11:25.
- Altitude : 30.000 Ft.
- Where were you when you left formation : North of Gottingen, Germany.
- Did you bail out : Yes.
- Did other members bail out : Yes , All 10 out safe.
- Tell all you know : All safe and returned home.
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- Your name : JAMES HARRY FOSTER.
- Rank : Major.
- Serial number : 0-438942.
- Mission : Oschersleben , Germany.
- Target : Bomb (H) same.
- Target time : I can't remember.
- Altitude : 19.000 Ft.
- Where were you when you left formation : Approx. 30 miles from IP.
- Did you bail out : Yes.
- Did other members bail out : Yes.
- Tell all you know : Lt's Cameron and Casagrande bailed out of nose hatch first,
Tory and Frank bailed out nose hatch second.
All remaining crew bailed out rear door.
|
James Foster |
Washington |
|
POW |
BC |
Stalag Luft 1 North 1 |
Frank Miller |
New Mexico |
|
POW |
|
Stalag Luft 1 South |
Leo Casagrande |
Florida |
|
POW |
|
Stalag Luft 1 South |
Thomas Cameron |
Pennsylvania |
|
POW |
|
Stalag Luft 1 South |
Jospeh Mehalshick |
Pennsylvania |
1924 - |
POW |
|
Stalag 17 B |
Tory Campbell |
Nevada |
1917 - |
POW |
|
Stalag 17 B |
Harold Brown |
Massachusetts |
1921 - |
POW |
|
Stalag 17 B |
William Orphan |
Massachusetts |
1924 - |
POW |
|
Stalag 17 B |
Glen Graves |
Colorado |
1913 - |
POW |
|
Stalag 17 B |
Walter Hathaway |
New York |
1912 - |
POW |
|
Stalag 17 B |
BC = Barracks Commander
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