Missing Air Crew Report : 6468

1.    Organization : AAF Sta 128.                  

               

       Command : 8th Air Force.
       Group : 401st.
       Squadron : 612th.

2.    Place of depature : AAF Station 128.
       Target : Kiel , Germany.
       Type of mission: Port facilities.

4.    Last know date : 4 Jan 1944
       time : 12:45
       location : 64 miles before English coast.

5.    Aircraft believed to have been lost as a result of : Engine trouble.

6.    Aircraft type : B-17G
       serial no. : 42-31089

7.    Nickname of aircraft : " Carolyne ".

8.    Engines : R-1820-97.

10.  Persons on board : Crew : 10.

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

Pilot	William C. Garland	Captain	0-24892	RTD
Copilot	Malcom K. Martin	Major	0-424978	RTD
Navigator	Edward P. Nolte	2nd Lt	0-683296	RTD
Bombardier	Floyd C. Howe	2nd Lt	0-734692	KIA
Radio Operator	Bert S. Stimmel	T/Sgt	3533227	RTD
Engr / Top Turret	Anthony V. Spacek	T/Sgt	32378819	RTD
Ball Turret Gunner	Thomas D. McNab, Jr.	Sgt	12095352	RTD
Tail Gunner	Erle G. Owens	2nd Lt	0-679108	RTD
Left Waist Gunner	John L. Parratt	Sgt	13000644	RTD
Right Waist Gunner	Ralph D. Newton	Sgt	33274765	KIA

             Headquarters, AAF Station 128 , APO 557 U.S Army

Aircraft No. 42-31089 left the English Channel on schedule en route to bomb Kiel , Germany.
At a point between Helgoland island and the German coast No. 4 engine caught fire.
The remaining engines furnishing insufficient power to allow aircraft to remain in formation, aircraft was turned and headed for England at 1100 hours.
When the aircraft was sixty four (64) miles from the English Coast No. 3 engine went out of commission, the aircraft was steadily losing altitude so preparations were made for ditching.
Aircraft hit the water at approximately 1245 hours.
Water poured into the radio compartment to a height about knee deep.
Lt. Owens pulled the handle for the dinghies, but neither one came out. Lt. Owens and Lt. Nolte then pulled out the left dinghy on which the plate covering the dinghy compartment had stuck.
At that time a wave knocked Lt. Nolte off the fuselage. He and Lt. Owens then got in the left dinghy.
Sgt McNab swam back and climbed in , then Sgt Parratt got in.

In the cockpit the left window slammed shut and locked.
Major Martin and Capt.Garland got out through the right window.
Capt. Garland hung on to the right dinghy and Major Martin inflated and individual dinghy which he hung on to until a wave knocked him off.
When it floated past the tail Sgt. Spacek grabbed it and held it until Major Martin could again get to it.
Capt Garland and Sgt Stimmel then got into the right dinghy.

Lt. Howe and Sgt. Newton remained on top of the fuselage.
Sgt. Howe standing on the fuselage near the radio hatch.
About that time a powerful wave knocked both Lt. Howe and Sgt. Newton in the water and broke the right dinghy loose from the tail of the ship, ( waves were about twenty feet high that day and it was described as one of the roughest ever seen in the North Sea).
Sgt. Newton was not seen again and Lt. Howe was last seen swimming about half way between the aircraft and dinghy.

About 45 minuets later or 1330 hours a British Mine Sweeper, Monique Comille , with the use of a grappling hook picked up Lt. Howe and in the next fifteen minutes Sgt's Parratt, McNab, Stimmel , Spacek , Capt. Garland and Major Martin.
Meanshile a British Mine Sweeper , Typhoon , rescued Lts'Nolte and Owens.
Efforts were made to revive Lt. Howe but he died without regaining consciousness.

  

William Garland			RTD
Malcom Martin			RTD
Edward Nolte	Texas	1919 -	RTD
Bert Stimmel			RTD
Anthony Spacek	New York	1920 -	RTD
Thomas McNab, Jr.	New Jersey	1919 -	RTD
Erle Owens			RTD
John Parratt	Pennsylvania	1923 -	RTD
Floyd C. Howe	Illinois	1922 - 1944	KIA	MA
Ralph D. Newton	Pennsylvania	1916 - 1944	KIA	CA	Wall of Missing

CA = Camebridge , England      MA = Mount Auburn, illinois USA