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.




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.



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.



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.



- 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.



- 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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